Ramayana
by JulieM
Summary: Harm met Dianne, they married and had a child. Then she disappeared without a trace. The two travel the country then venture abroad, looking for Dianne. Finally they settle in Bali, Indonesia...and along comes Mac...How will Harm react to his new partner?
1. Chapters 1 & 2

Sorry, this is not a new story or a new chapter added; several little errors have been driving me crazy, so I'm re-posting some chapters with these corrected. If you are discovering this story for the first time; Enjoy! If you've read this before, please give it another go! You might enjoy more than you did the last time! I really hope this is the case! Jules

Summary: Okay, this story is definitely what would be termed 'alternate universe'; No Falls Church, no Bud, Harriet, AJ, Cresswell or Sturgis Turner. In this reality, Harm and Mac never met any of them, nor spent any time in DC. Their lives retain a hint of official canon, but more has been changed than not.

AN: Okay, I acknowledge this; my story is very different; Harm met Dianne Schonke, they had a child together, then she disappeared. Never giving up on finding the Mother of his child, Harm pursues her trail all over the US and eventually abroad, ending up in Bali, Indonesia, where this story takes place. Then Mac gets transferred there from San Diego and of course things become very uncomfortable. How will Harm react to the new partner who looks so much like the absent Mother of his child? How will his daughter react to her? Since I'm a Harm-Mac shipper, I promise a happy ending, but you all know how much I enjoy injecting elephant-sized amounts of angst into my stories! The road to happy shipper-dom will not be smooth! Enjoy!

Category: H/M shipper (eventually!)

Rating: K , but perhaps T. It contains quite a bit of angst, but no bad words. You may think that some contents may warrant something a bit stronger than K , you may not. Just proceed with caution, either way…I'm not that great at rating my stories, sorry!

Part 1

Title: Ramayana

_The Ramayana is an epic Balinese tale, telling of Prince Rama and his beautiful wife Sita. One day, while out in the forest, hunting, Rama and Sita come upon a beautiful golden deer. Enchanted by the deer, Rama takes off after it, stalking it through the forest, determined to catch it for his wife Sita. Because he must leave her behind, he first places her inside a magic circle of protection. But before Rama returns, Sita is discovered by the evil King Rawana. He breaks Rama's circle of protection and carries the terrified Sita off to his land of darkness and despair. When Prince Rama returns and discovers what has happened, he enlists the help of the hero Hanuman, the Monkey General and his army of monkey warriors. They travel far, to the kingdom of darkness ruled over by King Rawana. After a fierce battle between the two, Prince Rama finally slays the evil Rawana and brings Sita home to safety. _

She was still quite young when they came to this beautiful, peaceful island, but for as long as she'd been able to make sense of what was going on around her she'd been able to draw similarities between her own life and wonderful tales of Balinese folkore. Her Father was the dashing Prince Rama, her Mother his beautiful wife, Sita…only for them there was no happy ending…not yet, anyway…Her Mother, Lieutenant Dianne Shonke went missing from the home in California. She wasn't yet one year of age, her Father had no idea of what had happened to her and the police never came back with anything more than questions. Eventually, her Father became impatient and at the same time, he found all of the things around him did nothing but multiply his pain, because they reminded him of her. In a way, so did his child. So he decided to go and search for her himself. Being a Lieutenant Commander in the US Navy, it wasn't hard to secure himself a TAD another state, then another country entirely. And so it continued; moving from place to place, following a meandering trail of evidence, never staying for more than three or four months at a time, just long enough to search for clues and answers. When his daughter was five, they settled in Bali and for a time, her Father was happy to build a life, put down roots. She didn't dare to do so, dare to hope for a normal life.

One evening, after they had not been here long, he came home more broken than she'd ever seen him. She assumed that he'd found more evidence and that he was disappointed that this horrible treasure hunt had still not come to an end. He wouldn't tell her anything, but she could still see it in his tearful eyes…He was giving up.

"Don't cry, Daddy," She told him, "She wouldn't want us to give up."

She couldn't quite discern the main expression on his face as he looked up at her, but she could see a strengthening of his resolve.

That night she packed her bag again, anticipating another move, come morning…but as was routine, he woke her up and told her to get ready for school. He dropped her off as usual, before leaving for work, or at least that is what he said. She was worried sick the whole morning, until lunchtime came, when she ran all the way home. Letting herself into the house, she ran around, throwing open cupboards and drawers, not stopping for a breath until she knew for sure that every single belonging of her Dad's was there…He had not left her…

OOOO

Five years later…

16th June, 1992.

Rabb Residence,

Ubud, Bali.

Kim quickly packed a bag and slung it over one shoulder, before bolting for the bedroom door. Her hand began to twist the knob open, before she remembered and darted back to the chest of drawers, yanking open the bottom drawer and taking out a rolled-up sarong. The last thing she needed was to be late and without proper attire; her teacher would definitely not be impressed. Now all prepared; she took the stairs two at a time, only to come to an unexpected halt at the bottom; face-to-face with her Father.

"Dad…you're home."

Well, that was hardly what you'd call articulate! She wasn't sure who was most surprised.

"Yeah, I have to get changed."

It wasn't usual for him to be home from his job at the military's JAG office this early.

"I have a work function, tonight…I'm sure I told you."

Perhaps he did…unfortunately, she probably wasn't paying attention at the time. That wasn't anything new for either of them, a point illustrated by his next question.

"You going out?"

"Uh, yeah…Tonight's dance class, remember? And I'm going to be late…"

Five years of classes in traditional Balinese dance, every Tuesday night and you'd think he'd remember…Nope!

"Oh…Uh, I'd give you a ride there, but…"

"You have to get showered and changed, yeah," she finished for him, nodding in understanding, "That's okay. I'm going to ride my bike over. I should make it in time if I hurry."

"Okay, ride carefully, though."

"Okay, bye…"

And with not a word more, they hurried in opposite directions; him upstairs to his bedroom and her out the front door, to where she left her bike collapsed in the front yard.

OOOO

Once he was out of the shower, Harm moved in front of the bathroom mirror, grabbing up his can of shaving foam. Once it had been smeared over the contours of his face, he picked up his razor, making quick work of removing the stubble that had appeared since this morning. After drying off and re-dressing, Harm picked his cover up off the desktop, where he had left it.

He hurried downstairs, where he made himself a quick sandwich, not knowing when he'd next get a chance to eat. Tonight he was to meet some of his colleagues at local military base, to greet an incoming group of officers who were to take up posts both within and outside his chain of command. They'd take them for a tour of the base where they'd be working, including the JAG offices then they'd take them for an informal tour of some of the local sights. He didn't know what his fellow officer, James Greene had actually organized.

As Harm sat down at the kitchen table, he moved some of his daughter's schoolbooks, which had been left there after homework was completed.

Harm sighed when he saw a familiar book, one that was written for children much younger than Kim's ten years. He'd bought it for her five years ago, when they'd arrived here. It was a book full of tales and pictures of local folklore. It had always been one of Kim's favourites, but now Harm was concerned that Kim was clinging to the fairytales within it. He was concerned that Kim might be shunning the adult world that most children Kim's age were now beginning to be indoctrinated into. Oh, he knew that Kim was an intelligent child; she wrote and read at the level of a thirteen-year-old and her mathematics abilities were also above average for her age. She was articulate and for the most part sociable, but she often chose to bury her nose in a book of story-tales, rather than play out with the neighbor's kids. Harm was beginning to think that he'd have to intervene, if she was going to move past these fanciful, romantic tales and learn what the real world was all about.

It was something that Harm didn't have the time to worry about, just now, though. He had better be on his way. He put his used dishes into the sink for later washing and made his way outside, locking the front door before climbing into his car.

OOOO

Part 2

Kim found that she was just in time for her class. She dropped her bike to lie on the ground beside the temple entryway and quickly wrapped her sarong around herself, tucking it in at her waist.

The class began and Kim quickly lost herself in the dance and the music. Usually, if it was a performance day, a full Balinese orchestra would be assembled in the courtyard, to provide music for the dancers, but today was just a practice, so they made do with a cassette tape of music played on somebody's portable stereo.

Kim was in a class for children between eight and twelve years old. They learned traditional dances such as the Legong, a dance traditionally performed by girls who had not yet reached puberty. After their class was over, the girls hung around as they usually did, to watch the older class. This was for teenage girls and boys or women and men in their early twenties and was much more advanced than the younger class, performing dances such as the Kecak, the Topeng and the Barong and Rangda dance. Some of these girls, boys and young women and men, the ones who possessed the special talent, routinely performed at local festivals and for tourist parties at the big hotels. Kim very much wanted to go on to become one such dancer. True, she was the only non-Indonesian child in this school, but neither her teachers nor the other dancers ever made her feel like an outsider. They had known her for all the time she'd lived here in Bali, treated her as just another child of the village. However, the skills required of the older dancers were much more advanced. You were required to be very supple, graceful and the facial expressions involved were as important as the skilled body and hand-movements in these dances. There were quite a few more male dancers in the older class, but female dancers would commonly play both parts, both male and female. As she watched some of the older women perform, she felt much trepidation about what lay ahead of her. She was quickly approaching the age where she would no longer be able to perform the Legong. In order to continue at the temple's school of dance, as skilled as she was, she would need to buck down and work hard at acquiring the skills of a senior dancer.

After the senior class was over, as she was about to leave, Kim's teacher approached her and some other girls from the junior class. She explained that there would be an unplanned performance tonight; the Legong, the Barong and Rangda and the Kecak would be performed for a group of tourists. Kim and the two other girls had been chosen to perform their piece, the Legong, while a large number of young women and men would be performing the more advanced dances. The bulk of the men would make up the Kecak choir, while the majority of the women would be performing the Barong and Rangda, or would be assisting with costumes and make-up. They were all told to go and get something to eat and be back at the temple in an hour, to get ready for the performance, scheduled to begin in two hours time.

OOOO

Harm had felt anxious from the moment he stepped out of his vehicle, at the base's airfield. He joined the rest of his colleagues who, like him, were senior officers in the JAG and Inspector General's office. The transport they were meeting had apparently already landed and their incoming officers were in the process of disembarking. At first, Harm believed that his tardiness had been the reason for his nerves, but later events would prove this wrong. He was more cynical than the majority of the people he knew, but Harm would eventually be forced to attribute the whole encounter to fate, as laughably romantic as that sounded.

Once the incoming officers arrived in the main building, Harm threw himself into greeting and introducing himself, working out which officers belonged within which command or office and insuring that all of the luggage was tagged appropriately for transport to the BOQ.

It was Harm's fellow officer, Lt. Commander James Greene who tapped him on the shoulder, as Harm was relaying details to a petty officer, who would drive the minibus that would take the luggage to the BOQ.

"Lt. Commander Rabb?"

As Harm turned around, he barely glanced at Lt. Commander Greene, before falling into pools of deep brown.

"May I introduce you to Major Sarah MacKenzie…The Major will technically be an officer in the IG's chain of command, but her courtroom and investigative skills mean she will be a real asset when she is stationed in our office. Major MacKenzie was telling me that her last duty station was in San Diego. Aren't your parents from near there, Harm?"

The brunette Marine Colonel smiled pleasantly at Harm, reaching out a hand in greeting.

"Mac."

But Harm was still frozen, neither holding out his hand nor answering Greene's question, instead simply looking at the woman who bore such a remarkable resemblance to his ex-wife.

It was the major's hair, braided and pinned up, that snapped him out of his stupor. Dianne had never allowed her hair to get this long, had hated the natural wave that ran through her chestnut locks when they reached a certain length, so had fastidiously kept it trimmed short. As a result, Harm had never seen it long enough to even brush her uniform collar.

Luckily, the Major didn't seem to take offence at his staring. What Harm didn't know was that many other officers from the JAG Office had had a similar initial reaction to the Marine Major. Because Harm's predecessor, (also his former CO in California), had spent much of his time with Lt. Commander Dianne Schonke (formerly Rabb,) many officers on base had also been familiar with the woman. The first person to greet Sarah MacKenzie had been the first to apologize, "Oh, sorry, Ma'am…You just look so much like another officer I used to know…"

"My apologies, Major," Harm tried unsuccessfully cover his surprise, "You just…"

"Yes, I understand I have a twin on-base…" Mac smiled, calmly.

"Well, up until about six months ago, yes…I believe Lt. Commander Schonke has now transferred to back stateside…"

It difficult to find words to reply to this. The situation was entirely too bizarre!

"Ah…okay…Nice to meet you, Lt. Commander."

"Please, call me Harm…Everyone else does."

"Amongst other names which are unmentionable in civilized conversation," Greene joked, breaking the tension.

Once the chit-chat in the terminal building had died down, Greene announced to the group the plans for the evening; their luggage would continue to the base's BOQ, where the newcomers would be staying while they made decisions about whether to stay on-base, or pursue accommodations off-base. In the meantime, they would head to the JAG and Inspector General's offices, to have a quick tour of the facilities, before they continued on to secure something to eat, at a local eating house. They would get a chance to try the local fare, although the eating house also catered to the large number of westerners serving with the US, British and Australian militaries in the area.

"And once dinner is finished, I've got something special lined up for us. I've managed to arrange an impromptu performance by a local traditional dance school, at Ubud's premier temple," Greene announced, "I know from experience that we're in for a real treat!"

Once he was finished, everybody made their way towards the three transport busses that were parked at the entrance of the terminal building.

OOOO


	2. Chapter 3

OOOO

AN: Just a quick note of something that was pointed out by a reader; Sorry for the discrepancy regarding Mac's rank in this. I wanted her to be a major, not a lieutenant colonel. But sometimes I just lapsed back into official canon, since I now connect the rank of lieutenant colonel with Mac, rather than major. I've tried to catch all of these little slips and correct them, but have inevitably missed some! My apologies! Just disregard it if you come across such a case of this!

Also, somebody let me know that since Dianne went to the Academy with Harm, she'd be the same rank as him...so from now on, Dianne was a lieutenant commander, like Harm and Mac is also the Marine Corps equivalent of a lieutenant commander; a major...Hope I've got that right, I'm not very knowledgeabe about ranks! Enjoy!

OOOO

Part 3

Since Kim had an hour to fill, she rode home and made herself a sandwich, before returning to the temple, on-foot. She was sure that somebody would be able to give her a ride home afterwards, but many of the other children routinely walked home, even after dark.

Once she arrived back at the temple, she found her best friend and neighbor, Yan was there. Yan's Mother often helped out with the dancer's costumes and make-up, so Yan would sometimes accompany his Mother to the temple when there was a performance happening.

"You're dancing Legong?" he asked her.

"Uh-huh," Kim nodded, smiling, "and this time I'm not the attendant!"

The Legong dance consisted of three dancers, two main dancers; the 'Legongs'

and their attendant or 'Condong.' Kim had danced this principal part before, but was most often given the part of the attendant, so this was a happy surprise.

Yan began to laugh and mime an over-the top, girly-version of the Legong, until Kim punched him in the arm and nearly knocked him over.

"Kim, it's your turn."

Yan's Mother had just finished with one of the other girl's costumes and so called Kim over to get outfitted in hers.

"Yan!" she looked back at her son, "Stay out from underneath everybody's feet, please…Go outside and play with your other friends! And keep out of trouble!"

OOOO

"Sorry, I didn't think that you'd react so…violently," Greene apologized, when they approached the cashier to settle the bill, "If I'd known, I would have warned you."

"It was a bit of a shock, nothing more," Harm shrugged it off.

"Thought I was seeing things when I first met her. She must think I'm an idiot! I think I had my trap hanging open at one point," Greene had known Harm's ex-wife Dianne well, when he worked alongside Commander Baker, the man Harm had replaced.

"I wasn't that bad, was I?" Harm questioned.

"No…" Greene faltered for a second, so Harm wasn't convinced, "It was a little tense for a second or two…But did you see Margie Felton? She actually dropped her clipboard when she met the major!"

Harm settled his half of the bill and pocketed the receipt, to submit for reimbursement, the next day.

"So Dianne and Baker moved back to California?"

"Yeah," Harm nodded, trying his best sound nonchalant, yet not appear bitter.

"Her loss then, isn't it? Kim's a really great kid."

"Thanks, James," Harm nodded, with a smile, "That she is."

OOOO

The evening had had a rocky start for Major Sarah MacKenzie. The flight hadn't been at all troublesome, but her arrival in Bali was strange to say the least! Every single person she had met upon arrival at the military airstrip had looked at her like not only did they know her, but as if she were some sort of infamous criminal, to boot! The shock only seemed to last for a minute or two and she supposed she should be glad that military decorum was required for such an event, but it was enough to set her on edge. She'd managed to unwind a little and enjoy her tour around her new office, but in the relaxed setting of the eating house, she became aware of the secret, subtle stares focused upon her person while she was making short work of her meal. Once she was done, she managed to make some settling small-talk with her new colleagues, both ones who she had met on the plane and at the base's terminal building. Her hosts, Commanders Rabb and Greene, whom she would be working with closest here in Bali, disappeared for a few minutes, to take care of the check, but soon returned and made polite conversation.

"So you have family in San Diego, Commander?" she asked the officer to her left.

"My parents are nearby," he replied, "In La Jolla."

"They love it when Harm and Kim visit, but more often they end up coming here," Greene joked, "Harm never takes time off, but they don't complain, because they love a free vacation out here!"

They all laughed and Mac shared, "A lot of my friends made me promise before I left that I'd let them stay with me, when they vacationed here!"

"You soon become very popular with your old friends, when you get a posting here," James nodded in agreement.

In the end, Mac felt much more at ease and her new colleagues also appeared to be so, hopefully having realized that she was very different from whoever this 'Commander Schonke' was.

OOOO

Kim was dressed in full costume and make-up, when the tourists began arriving at the temple gates. She was surprised to see Naval and Marine Corps uniforms, but didn't think too much of it, preferring to keep her mind on her performance that lay ahead.

"Kim," the dance teacher approached her, to check her costume and make-up.

Once the woman was satisfied that it was all correct, she gave Kim encouragement.

"You worked very hard in class today and paid close attention while you were watching the advanced class. I want to let you know that this is why I picked you for a principal role in the Legong, today. Not because of anything else, you understand? The role is yours purely on merit."

Kim just nodded, not understanding exactly what 'anything else' meant.

She soon found out, when Yan came back inside, telling her, "Your Pa is out there."

"Really?"

Kim's Father hadn't seen her dance during practice for more than two years and had never attended one of her performances. It made Kim kind of nervous to know that Harm was out there.

"He's showing new officers around," Yan filled her in.

Kim wasn't able to think about it much longer, because the Legong was the first dance to be performed, this evening and the guests had already taken their seats.

The dancers were quickly instructed to line up, ready for their entrance

OOOO


	3. Chapter 4

OOOO

AN: Okay, I wasn't going to include any other JAG characters in my fic, but Bud and Harriet were so great in the series, so I thought they deserved to be included! Enjoy!

OOOO

Part 4

Harm and James were now seated away from Major MacKenzie, preferring to sit at the edge of the seating area, giving the best seats to the new officers. Mac was now talking to Ensign Bud Roberts, whom she'd been seated next to on the plane over. He'd bought a travel guide back in the States, so was telling Mac all about the dances they were about to see. He was a friendly, intelligent young man, if a little bit enthusiastic, but Mac preferred this to 'slightly guarded, standoff-ish.' It was going to be a bit more difficult settling in here, when she already had a reputation!

Ensign Roberts piped down, as the full Balinese orchestra started up, comprising of four sets of different instruments; gamelans (like a metalic xylophone with fewer notes,) flutes, cymbals and drums. The dancers swept out, graceful on light feet and none of them more than about twelve years old. Mac was surprised to see one of the main dancers was clearly not Indonesian or even Asian, though she was very tanned.

"This dance is usually performed by young girls who haven't yet reached puberty," Bud Roberts had told her, earlier, but Mac hadn't quite grasped how skilled these children would be.

Their hand and leg movements were precise, their poses always graceful, the picture of femininity. Their facial expressions changed often and their eye movements were rapid, depending on the pace of the music, yet they managed to make it all seem effortless. The audience was silent, until the music began to slow, and then stopped altogether, the dancers striking a final pose.

The applause was loud, but the dancers didn't pause long, before they swept out of the arena and were replaced by some older performers. The next dance portrayed the fight between good and evil, the characters dressed in bulky, ornate costumes and detailed, carved masks.

The final dance was actually one that was not so traditional like those previous, but invented for and popular with the tourists to the region. The Kecak consisted of the dancers themselves, as well as an all-male choir. Mac noticed many of the young dancers from the first dance were now sitting alongside the arena, too, obviously wanting to watch and study this performance. She was sure this was what these young children were aspiring to be, when they got older.

With help from Ensign Roberts, she managed to decipher exactly what was happening in this dance and how the music complemented to dance and the story itself.

By the time that the final performance had come to an end, Mac found herself to be disappointed, even though it had run for quite some time. The applause was once again loud and enthusiastic, particularly when the other dancers, both young and old returned to the arena for a final bow.

Once they swept back out of the arena, the officer began to stand up and make their way out. Once in they reached the temple entryway, they all stopped to talk then admired the costumes and make-up of some of the dancers who had joined them. Mac caught sight of Lt. Commanders Greene and Rabb, talking to a woman who appeared to be an instructor at the temple.

OOOO

Harm and James were talking to one of the temple's dance instructors, when Harm's daughter Kim came to see her Dad and his work colleague.

"Your daughter did very well, tonight."

"This has to be her best performance, yet!"

"She excelled!"

Yan's Mother, and Kim's teacher were both gushing to the officers.

"She earned this opportunity to perform by working very hard, these past few weeks."

"The other teachers and I have been very impressed with her, these past months!"

Harm smoothed a hand across his daughter's shoulders and looked at all of the paint on her face. He wasn't used to seeing her looking like a painted doll, but bit back any comment.

Instead, he complimented, "Yes, she did very well, indeed!"

It was true. She seemed to have advanced a lot, since the last time he'd had the opportunity to see her dance. He had at one time brought Kim to classes himself, but his work had begun to demand more and more of his time, until he rarely ever saw her, apart from first thing in the morning, before he ran her to school and last thing at night, when she had already gone to bed…Well, he had to admit that he had chosen to devote much more time to his work…Being served with divorce papers had taken him by surprise and had hit him hard. The state of his working reputation had been a useful distraction, but at the cost of his daughter. Kim had essentially become a latch-key kid, at the tender age of seven. She was a good kid and never complained.

"Sweetie, I've got to accompany the new officers back to the BOQ…Can you make your own way home?" Harm asked his daughter, once her teacher, Yan's mother and James had moved on.

"Yep, I'm going to go home with Yan…Mrs Patterson needs to stay behind to help clear up, but we'll be careful on the way."

"Don't forget to get all that muck, uh…paint off your face…I don't want to see it all over your bed sheets, come morning!" Harm joked.

Kim just smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Yes, Dad!"

Harm walked with her, as Kim made her way back to the dressing area, to remove her costume and take off her make-up. Watching his daughter, internally musing how grown-up she seemed to be getting, Harm didn't watch where they were going. As Kim concerned herself with removing the jewelry on her fingers and up her arms, Harm steered them accidentally into Major MacKenzie.

"Oops, I'm sorr…"

Kim froze when her gaze locked upon the officer she'd knocked into. Harm turned his gaze to Mac, then back to his daughter, registering the shock on her face.

Before things got out of hand, he took his daughter's arm and commanded her attention.

"Kim, say hello to Major MacKenzie…She'll be working alongside Lt. Commander Greene and myself, at JAG. Major, this is my daughter, Kim."

Kim's questioning gaze stayed for just a few seconds more on the uncomfortable-looking Marine Major, then snapped back to her father.

"M…Major MacKen…zie?"

"Yes," he Father confirmed with a meaningful expression, "She's joining us from the JAG offices in San Diego."

"H…hello, Major…Welcome to Bali."

"Thank you, Kim," Mac smiled, still not understanding exactly what had occurred, but rolling with the punches, so to speak.

"I'll see you at home, okay, Kim?" Harm's tone was gentle, yet firm, "Go and get dressed, now…"

Once the child was gone, Harm and James turned back to their new officers. Eventually, they steered the rest of the crowd back to the buses that had brought them here. No doubt the scuttlebutt would be working overtime, the next morning!

OOOO


	4. Chapter 5

OOOO

Part 5

By the time that Kim had gotten dressed and washed off her make-up, the temple had emptied of tourists and military officers. However, as she made her way outside, she saw the buses were still parked in the temple carpark.

"Kim?" she turned back to Yan, who had been waiting for her, "You want to ride home, or walk?"

Kim told him she'd rather not walk, her legs being rather tired. Yan climbed onto the saddle of his bike, while she perched side-on, on the cross bar, in front of him. She gave one last look to the military buses, before they took off towards home.

OOOO

Mac was surprised when she heard a knock on her office door, early the next morning. She'd come in early, to get another chance for reconnaissance and a head-start on the cases she'd be assigned.

"Good morning, Major," Harm greeted her, cordially.

"Good morning, Lt. Commander…What can I do for you this morning?"

"Uh…I just wanted to apologize for Kim, for last night…And for myself, again, Major…I guess we were caught a little off-guard…"

"That's okay…That seems to be the general reaction amongst the officers here…I guess most people knew Lt. Commander Schonke…"

"Yeah, well…Mostly, they knew of her. She actually reserved her commission before she came here, but she was involved with my, uh…predecessor."

Mac didn't see what that had to do with anything; how did that make her well-known amongst the officers here, when she didn't serve amongst them? And Harm's daughter? Who was this woman to her?

She decided now was not the time to ask. Maybe once she'd gotten to know some of the people, here.

OOOO

At the Rabb residence, earlier that morning…

"I don't think this is discussion fit for the breakfast table, Kim," Harm warned his daughter that she was on thin ice with her barrage of questions.

"But, I don't understand…She looks just like her…"

"She's not her, Kim. That's all there is to it."

"You're sure?"

"Very," Harm assured his daughter, but not wanting the discussion to go any further. It was starting to edge up to some very uncomfortable questions, "You know she's not. She just looks like her…"

"She looks _just_ like her…"

"She _just_ looks like her," Harm emphasized, carefully, "The Major's first name is Sarah, not Dianne and she comes from Arizona, not California."

"You said she came from San Diego…"

"She served with the JAG office in San Diego before she came here, but she's originally from Arizona…And she's more than three years younger than your Mother…"

Kim gave up. The night before, she'd had some very intriguing thoughts. But now, they'd all come crashing down around her.

"Okay…"

"Okay?"

"Okay…I understand, now…She's not Mom."

"Good, I'm glad," Harm nodded, "I know this has all been hard on you, Kim, but things have been settling down more and more, this past year. You just keep your eyes on the road ahead and don't look back on what was or might have been. It's always been just the two of us and it'll stay that way, but we'll be fine."

"Okay, Dad," Kim got up from the table and went to go and get her book-bag, so that they could be on their way.

Harm scrubbed a hand across his tired face, once Kim was out of sight. There was so much that she didn't know, but there was no way that he could do that to her. The truth would destroy her.

OOOO

"Everybody seems to be very nice, Ma'am," Bud answered Mac's question about how he was settling in, while they sat at lunch, in the staff canteen.

Their lunch companion was Ensign Harriet Simms, who, like Mac, was attached to the Inspector General's office, but whom was assigned indefinitely to JAG.

"I've noticed we're still getting some funny looks," Mac joked, "are you sure you two don't want to steer clear of me?"

"I know it seems kinda strange, Ma'am," Harriet apologized on behalf of the previously existing staff like herself, "But people are slowly beginning to realize you're your own person…Not at all like Lieutenant Commander Schonke…"

"How so, Ensign? If you don't mind me asking, of course…" Bud was intrigued, but realized he might have asked too much.

"Well," Harriet thought carefully, before she answered, "I guess you could say that Lt. Commander Schonke seemed very normal, when she got here…However, once Commander Rabb arrived and scuttlebutt started to get to work, everyone realized that they hadn't known her at all. She didn't work here; she had reserved her commission by then, although her…partner, General Baker still continued to have dealings with JAG, even after his promotion out of this office. I don't think I can say much more, out of respect for Lt. Commander Rabb, but…Lt. Commander Schonke's…reputation was soon well and widely known."

It didn't answer many of Mac's questions, but at least she understood that none of the other officer's reactions had anything to do with her. They'd surely all come around, after a few weeks or so, if she kept her head down and her mind focused on the job.

OOOO

"So she looks just like her?"

"They could be twins."

Kim and Yan were once again reprimanded for talking in class, so they had to drop their conversation where it was.

It was lunchtime before they were able to pick it up again.

"But I thought that you'd never met your mother…"

"I didn't. She went missing when I was still a baby…but I've got pictures of her, you see?"

"Oh, okay…and that was why you and your Pa came here, five years ago? To look for your Mother?"

"Yep…Dad heard something along the military grapevine, so he took the post here, even though his promotion prospects weren't as good as if we'd stayed in Okinawa."

"Do you still believe that somebody took her? Like in the Ramayana…"

"I don't know…My Dad seems to have given up…I just don't understand why."

"Prince Rama never gave up…"

Kim didn't say anything more on the matter…She couldn't get her throat to work without bringing tears to her eyes, so she continued to eat her lunch in silence. Yan obviously knew she was upset, so wisely didn't say anything more, either.

OOOO


	5. Chapter 6

OOOO

Part 6

Kim was sitting in her room, reading her favourite book of traditional folk-stories, when their house-keeper Melissa came in.

"What are you doing inside, Kim?" she asked, "It's a beautiful day outside. Why don't you go and find your friend, Yan?"

"I don't feel well," Kim shook her head.

The kindly woman ran her ran over Kim's head affectionately then felt her forehead for signs of a fever. Satisfied that Kim didn't have one, she suggested, "How about I make you a special batch of my vegetable soup? That'll have you feeling better in no time!"

Kim agreed with a smile, but mostly just so she would be left alone again…She didn't much feel like company, just now. She wanted to be left alone to sort through the feelings that were battling inside of her.

OOOO

The next few weeks passed quietly at JAG and Harm, Mac, James and their colleagues all settled into a comfortable routine. While many of the individuals Harm had worked with previously had been of a lower rank, Harm found himself very thankful that Mac had a rank equal to himself and James. It meant that they could be a lot less formal around each other and this leant itself to them all forming something of a friendship. Every Friday they would knock off a couple of hours earlier than Harm usually did (at 1730hrs, instead of 1930hrs or later,) and they'd go out for a meal, together.

The first couple of times, Mac found herself wondering why Harm would stay out so late, when he had at least one child and a wife at home waiting for him, but it was a while before she felt she could ask.

"Don't you have somebody waiting for you at home, Harm?"

"Kim will be fine for a while longer…She usually plays out with the neighbourhood kids and the area is generally very safe, but our housekeeper is around, just to keep an eye out."

Mac noticed he didn't mention anything about a spouse or partner, so assumed that Harm was probably raising his daughter on his own. Of course it wasn't unheard of, in this day and age, but it was still a little unusual and her opinion of him went up, as a result. There seemed to be much more to Lt. Commander Harmon Rabb Jr. than she'd previously realized and it only served to intrigue her.

OOOO

It was actually Lt. Commander Greene's wife who provided to answer to most of her questions. Mac had had a particularly challenging day in court and Harm was out of the country on investigation, so Mac and James went out for something to eat themselves and James's wife Pamela joined them.

"You should have seen the way this judge looked at me," Mac told them, describing her first-time meeting with a local judge, "I'm really getting very tired of all of the funny looks…I've been here for months, now…"

"It's just a huge surprise for many people," Pamela attempted to explain, while James excused himself to use the restaurant's bathroom facilities, "Lt. Commander Schonke left things in a somewhat…awkward state, to say the least…"

"But I thought she reserved her commission before she came to Bali…"

"Yes, but with Lt. Commander Rabb in such a large, busy office branch, it was like a stage production when she served him with the divorce papers…"

"Divorce papers!? She served Harm with divorce papers?"

"You didn't know they were divorced?"

"I didn't know they were married…"

"Lt. Commander Schonke dropped her married name when she left California…"

"She came here with Harm?"

"No, she came here with Baker…Harm had no idea where she was, until he heard whispers that she'd followed Baker to his new post, here in Bali."

"And Harm came here right after her?"

"Well, he did when he found out; four years after her disappearance…up until then, he had no idea where she was, even if she was alive or dead…"

"How awful!"

"Even worse, Baker was Harm's former CO. And Kim wasn't even a year old, when Dianne disappeared."

"She just left her and Harm? Her own child? To go after her husband's CO?"

Pamela just nodded, her expression indicating that she couldn't understand it, herself. Neither could Mac, but she had a good idea just what it was like for Harm's poor daughter. Her own Mother had left her with her alcoholic Father when Mac was just fifteen. The child's reaction to her now made total sense.

"It was an uncomfortable couple of years, until she served him with divorce papers, in front of everyone at the office. After that…I don't know; it was like all the fight in the poor man died. He became very quiet, threw himself into his work. About a year after the divorce was finalized, she and Baker announced to the few friends they still had that they were taking positions back in the States, somewhere…It was a very strange situation…"

When James got back to the table, he was mildly concerned to hear his wife talking about his fellow-officer's personal life to Mac, but he knew that he could count on Mac to be discreet about her knowledge…And after all, she did deserve to know exactly why people were reacting to her this way.

"It was a huge shock to Harm, both when he learnt that Dianne was here with Baker and when she handed him the divorce papers," James explained, "but he's managed to provide a decent life for Kim, considering how they had previously poured so much of it into searching for Dianne. He's not the happiest person I've ever met, but he loves his kid and his job and that's something."

'It's more than I have,' Mac thought to herself. But then again, every relationship she'd ever had seemed to turn into something of a disaster. For now, she was content to focus on her career and put her wish for a family on hold.

OOOO


	6. Chapter 7

OOOO

Part 7

Over the next six months, Harm and Mac spent a lot of time together, both inside the office and outside it. They often got together for working dinners, at Mac's residence on-base and on the weekends they went running together. Of course, the whole situation had been quite confusing at first, particularly for Harm, considering how Mac was the double of his ex-wife. And later, he of course worried about what others would think, but eventually decided that he didn't care. Mac was of course nothing like his ex-wife, who Harm now realized had been high-maintenance, at the best of times! Mac was easy-going in her free-time, despite being devoted to her job and razor-sharp, especially when she was in the courtroom or on investigations. It was with no small amount of shock that Harm realized that he was falling for her! And despite how much he had adored his wife, back in their happier times, he realized that what he was beginning to feel for Mac easily eclipsed it, even at this early stage.

Harm let out a chuckle, just as James entered his office with some case files to request Harm's opinion on.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing…Kim just said something, this morning…"

"Was it anything to do with the goofy grin you have on your face, this morning?"

Harm's gaze shot up to James' in question.

"And I," James continued, "think it might have something to do with everyone's favourite Marine Major…"

"Oh, you do, do you?" Harm took the jesting in good humor, "And how do you figure that?"

"Hmm…Maybe it's the _wild sparks_ that fly, every time you two are in close proximity! Seriously, buddy, I haven't seem chemistry like that in a long time. I'm just happy it's happening to you. You deserve to be happy."

"You don't think it's kinda weird?"

"Well, I understand the whole similarity-to-Dianne-thing…But you and I know that they're nothing alike. Most of the people in the office do, too, now. And there's no issue with the regs, because you two are in separate chains of command…and if anything, this attraction seems to be improving both of your work records! I say go for it, buddy!"

"Hmm," Harm continued to muse, "I think I'll have to proceed with caution, James. I don't know if Mac feels the same way I do and then there's Kim to think of. She doesn't know Mac like we do. Whatever might happen between Mac and I is probably going to be very strange to her. She doesn't need any more turmoil in her life…She's been through so much, already."

Here, James had to agree that Harm was right…Introducing Mac into his life might become difficult, considering Kim was a big part of it. How would Kim take to Mac?

OOOO

As it turned out, Harm didn't need to worry about how Mac felt about him; she was just as enchanted with him as he was with her!

One evening they went to conduct a mishap investigation, driving Mac's car down to the shipyard where the carrier in question was under-going repairs. Within three hours, it was clearly a cut and dry case of electronics failure, so almost certainly nobody would be held accountable for the events of the day before. The other vessel in question was a small boat belonging to the Balinese coastguard, so they would be compensated, but the whole incident had proved to be a fluke beyond anybody's control. Harm and Mac would not have any further involvement, once they submitted their report.

"Would you like to join me for some dinner?" Harm asked, as he assisted Mac down the gangway.

Thinking that she'd probably make excuses and turn the offer down, he was surprised when she readily accepted.

"I'm not up to much in the kitchen, so eating out is probably the best option, though I was going to ask if you'd like to join me!" Mac smiled.

They had a very pleasant evening, although it had taken them some time to get to the restaurant, which was far out of their way. Both had decided upon this place not only because it had very good food, but also because its remote location meant that few military officers knew about it.

"So is Kim being looked after by your house-keeper, tonight?" Mac asked.

"No, tonight is one of Melissa's nights-off," Harm shook his head, "But Kim's spending the night at the house of one of her friends. Yan and his family live next door to us and if they hadn't been friends since they were five years old, I'd probably not allow it, but I know Major and Mrs. Patterson very well."

"Major Doug Patterson is your neighbour?" Mac asked, recognizing the name.

"Yes, Yan is in Kim's class at school. Doug's wife, Wayan is Balinese and has a lot of involvement with the performances at the temple, helping with the make-up and costumes. She's also got the eye of an eagle, so I don't have to worry about the kids getting to mischief!"

Mac smiled and Harm thought again how especially pretty she was when she smiled. She didn't do so nearly enough, in his opinion.

After dinner, they drove down to Kuta to have a walk along the beachfront. The bars along there were rather rowdy, so they spent most of their time on the beach, walking at the water's-edge with their shoes in their hands.

"Harm?" Mac broached the subject, "Do…do you ever look at me and still see your ex-wife, Kim's Mom?"

Harm was a little startled by this question, but reasoned that Mac must have noticed him watching her, lately.

"I see _you_, Mac," he answered, honestly, "I can promise you, you aren't a bit like my ex-wife, physical appearance aside. I know you probably still get funny looks from other officers and enlisted on-base, but they don't know much about you. They just remember how awkward things were once Kim and I moved here and Dianne and I were both running into each other on-base...But I don't see her when I look at you. You actually look quite different, if you look closely. Your hair is obviously longer, because she couldn't abide having to twist it up every morning before she went into work. But most of all, you're a happy person. Even when I first met Dianne, she wasn't that happy a person. She always seemed to be running from something, because she never went home during holidays, while we were at the Academy. She never had her folks come to visit for special occasions, not even when she graduated. Kim never even met them and they never sent any letters, asking about her. From what little I saw of them at our wedding, they were cold, unaffectionate people and although Dianne wasn't what I'd call cold, there was something missing…She was missing something and even after Kim was born, she seemed like she was still only partly-happy. And soon, even we couldn't make her happy, anymore. I tried to talk to her about it, but she never wanted to confide in me, so in the end I just stopped trying."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Mac reached out and took his hand in her, giving it a consoling squeeze.

"And I'm sorry that I got so in-depth about it," Harm apologized for getting carried away, "But I want you to understand just how you are nothing like her; _nothing_. You had a hard time when you first got here and I know I didn't exactly say much to help matters, but I don't see her when I look at you. There are days when I don't even think of her, but having a child who looks so much like her doesn't make that easy….I know you've probably caught me looking at you, while we're in the office, or when we get together outside of work, but I can assure you, when that happens, Dianne couldn't be further from my mind…"

He had the decency to blush and Mac found it very endearing.

"I'm glad," she smiled as she broke the awkward silence, reaching up to touch his face and bringing his gaze back to hers, "I was wondering for a while there, but now that I know, I can sit back and enjoy it!"

Mac laughed, quietly and Harm broke into a smile of his own and without even being aware of it they drifted closer together, until they were mere inches away. And with one more crooked smile of invitation from Mac, Harm closed the inches between them and they were locked in one of the most satisfying kisses either of them could remember. Harm lifted his hand to the back of her neck and the hand that Mac held within hers entwined around it. The kiss itself was both exquisitely intimate and exploratory, yet exceedingly gentle. Mac found that she was disappointed when it finally ended, even though the kiss had been anything but brief.

"I think we should probably get going, Mac," Harm regretfully remembered the late hour, knowing that they'd have an early start tomorrow, "But, if it would be okay with you, I'd very much like to do this again, sometime…"

"What, stand on a beach and kiss?!" Mac smiled, jokingly.

"Well, I can't say that I didn't enjoy it," Harm grinned, "but I would certainly like to do dinner and maybe dancing, afterwards…But you never know where that'll lead. I'm sure we'll get around to another walk along the beach and kissing in the moonlight…"

"Are you free this weekend?" Mac asked.

Harm nodded, "I'm sure Melissa wouldn't mind watching Kim for me."

OOOO


	7. Chapter 8

OOOO

Part 8

"I'm going to be out late, tonight," Harm let his daughter know, the day after Mac had agreed to have dinner with him (well, Harm couldn't quite work out who had asked who out, but he supposed that he had suggested it!)

"How late?" Kim asked, "Is this for work?"

"Mrs. Patterson has agreed to let you stay over at theirs, again, for the night, since Melissa has plans," Harm deliberately avoided answering his daughter's question, so she'd know it was none of her business, "so I want you to be on your best behaviour, even if Yan tries to rope you into any little adventures or pranks…"

"He hasn't done that for years now," Kim protested, adding, "and I'm far too smart to fall for it, anyway."

"Yeah, well don't forget that Mrs. Patterson is on good terms with several of your dance instructors…The next few years are going to be crucial, if you want to continue at the temple school, so you've got to keep your nose as clean as possible and keep up your grades…Plus you'll be starting junior-high, next semester."

"My grades are great!" Kim looked offended, so Harm pointed out, "And they have to stay that way, even as the subjects get harder. Your grades will also factor into your instructor's decision, if they consider you for a place in the advanced classes."

In a way, Kim was glad that she'd been seeing more of her Father in the last few months. Since the new officers came to JAG, he hadn't been sent out of town nearly as much and he spent less time at the office. But he'd also been talking to her teachers and the parents of her friends a lot, too and she couldn't help but feel like he was checking up on her, trying to sniff out some sort of short-coming on her part. It had been so long since he'd been able to even attend one of her parent-teacher conferences; this all felt like it was coming on a little too suddenly…and try as she might, she couldn't help but feel that he was holding back, somehow…hiding something from her.

OOOO

Three weeks later…

Kim had once again been 'banished' to their neighbour's house, because her Dad was having 'work colleagues' over for dinner. It didn't actually happen all that often, so Kim didn't mind.

"Kim's staying at her friend Yan's house, tonight, so we've got peace and quiet!"

James and Pamela had arrived early, so they were just waiting for Mac to arrive.

"But I figure, Kim being Kim, she will figure out a reason or two to drop by a few times, so Mac'll still get to meet her again. But this way maybe Kim will feel more in control of the situation."

Once Mac arrived, they started on dinner and afterwards, retired to the back patio for coffee and chat.

As Harm had predicted, Kim made an appearance a couple of times to retrieve an item or two that she'd forgotten. But after meeting Mac again, her initial curiosity seemed to wear off and they were left to their own devices during the second half of the evening.

OOOO

Kim had figured that if she stopped back home to grab some things she'd 'accidentally' forgotten, her Dad would probably not realize that she was simply coming by to get another look at the Major. But only a time or two, or he'd realize something was up. First, Kim came home to retrieve her toothbrush. But the Major had been in the kitchen with Lt. Commander Greene's wife, helping to prepare the salad to go with their meal, so she hadn't gotten more than a mere glimpse of the woman. The second time, she'd been more daring so while she went upstairs to grab the video she'd come home for, she'd spent some time on the upstairs landing, watching the adults finishing up their dinner.

The Major looked quite different with her hair down. Kim had only ever seen photographs of her mother, so did not know just how different the two women were in terms of personality. But they certainly did look alike and as a result, Mac also bore a strong resemblance to Kim herself. Kim had inherited her Father's eyes, but her Mother's skin tone and hair colour. In all of the photographs she had seen of Dianne Schonke, the woman who was her Mother appeared to have straight hair, although it was always kept very short, so it was impossible to know for sure. Kim herself had not even a wave to her hair, but she could have gotten that from Harm and she always kept it long enough to reach her shoulder blades. Anything longer was too much with the climate here, but Kim took pride in her long tresses. The Major's, either by design or naturally, had much more of a wave to it, although it wasn't what you could call curly.

"Kim? Did you manage to find what you were looking for?" Harm shouted up the stairs.

Kim quickly opened and shut her door audibly and made her way downstairs.

"Yep," she held up the video tape, "Yan wants to watch 'Predator,' but I wasn't sure where I put it, the last time I watched it. I had to search for it."

"Okay, well have a good time at Yan's. Tell Mrs. Patterson I said 'hi' and 'thank you.' And be sure to mind your p's and q's…"

"Okay, Dad, I will. See you tomorrow…Goodnight, Lt. Commander and Mrs. Greene, Major MacKenzie…"

All three of the guests bid her goodbye and Kim was back out the front door.

OOOO


	8. Chapter 9

AN: Since it isn't a school night and I had a great time over the Chinese New Year holidays, here's another chapter! Enjoy!

OOOO

Part 9

James and Pamela had made their excuses a little bit early, obviously opting to give Harm and Mac some time to themselves and neither minded in the least. They were by now very comfortable with each other.

"How's Kim been doing?"

Mac and he often talked about Harm's daughter. They of course understood how important her acceptance of their relationship would be, but Mac had already taken genuine a shine to the child she'd met only briefly, two times.

"She's been doing okay…Her grades are still good; she's doing well in school…But, something seems off about her…I don't know just what it is…"

"It's not 'us,' is it? I know she doesn't really know much, yet, but..."

"I don't think it is," Harm shook his head, "I mean, she doesn't ask questions whenever I tell her we're going out somewhere, but I'm sure she's figured out that we're dating."

"Is she still asking questions about my resemblance to her Mother?"

"No, not anymore. She doesn't really know just how different you really are to Dianne, because she was still so small when Dianne left, she doesn't remember her…but we've had several conversations about the matter. There's no doubt in her mind now that you and Dianne are very different people. She understands, for sure, now."

"Does she know where her Mother is, now?"

"Not exactly. But she knows that Dianne transferred back to the States. And she knows that our place is here. She knows about my prospects for promotion within the next year and a half, so she doesn't question why we're still here, even though Dianne isn't. But I can tell she's wondering why Dianne would leave, when we're staying here."

"She doesn't know about the divorce?"

"No," Harm shook his head, vehemently, "I just couldn't tell her…I couldn't find the words. At the same time as the divorce, Dianne chose to relinquish any parental rights she might have still had and I just couldn't bring myself to tell Kim that. It would destroy her."

"Poor kid," Mac taking Harm's hand in her own, "I know what that's like...My Mother never said goodbye either. But I had fifteen years with her, so perhaps I'm actually lucky…well, depending on how you look at it; I'm not sure my Mother instilled much in me that I could use. My Dad was hardly what you'd call a keeper, but she stayed with him for so long."

"How does a child get over something like that?" he asked, knowing of Mac's unique insight into the matter.

"I never really did…Even when I thought I had, in my early twenties. It wasn't until a few years ago, when I met my Mother at my Father's funeral that I realized that I'd never truly gotten over it…But now, even despite the destructive world my Father sucked me into, with his alcohol abuse, I realize that my Father was just as devastated as I was. He did his best, as poor a job as that was. You're a _great_ Father to Kim. She knows that you'll always be there for her."

Harm shook his head with regret and Mac pulled him into her embrace, resting her forehead against his, to bring him some comfort.

"Sometimes it seems like she's in her own little world," Harm confided, "She's intelligent and out-going, but sometimes she just closes in upon herself. Some days, if she doesn't have school, she might not even leave her room. If I'm at work, I won't know anything about it until our housekeeper mentions something. But I know just what she's been doing. She'll read this book I got for her when she was five-years-old, soon after we got here. She's burying her head in all these local fairytales, rather than living in the real world…Do you think she's that unhappy with her life that she resorts to inventing a fantasy life, one that is happier, more fulfilling?"

"No, I don't think so. She seems like a great kid, from all you've told me about her, but the world can be a daunting place to a ten-year-old. She knows you love her and that you do your best for her and I'm sure she'll come out of her shell when she's ready."

"Sometimes I get so frustrated. I tell her to get her head out of the clouds. In a way, I worry that these dance classes are reinforcing these fanciful daydreams she has, because of the folklore behind traditional dance and music here, but it's her one opportunity to interact with other kids in a comfortable, relaxed environment. How could I take that away from her? I want her to grow up and start living in the real world, I don't want her to accidentally tumble into it and have a bad experience that might scar her for life. How can I reconcile both of those things as a Father who wants the best for his child?"

"I don't think you can force her to do anything she isn't ready for, Harm, whether it is for her own good or not. She'll fight it tooth and nail and your relationship with her will suffer as a result. I know she's approaching her teenage years and I know how uncomfortable they can be, but as long as you're there to encourage her and support her, I think she'll make the transition in her own time."

"I was thinking," Harm moved onto a happier topic, "That maybe we could take a trip out somewhere, this weekend…The three of us, if you'd be comfortable with that?"

"Yeah, sounds good," Mac readily agreed, "I'd like that…As long as you think Kim is ready for it…"

"I think she is," Harm pondered, "I've told her plenty about you and she seems receptive to getting to know you better…You realize that was the reason she left her toothbrush and her video here, tonight? I think she wanted to get the chance to see you again."

Mac smiled; she'd had that feeling at the time, had seen Kim peering down at her from an almost out-of-view place on the upstairs landing. It was amusing how well Harm knew his daughter! Early on in their courtship, he'd attempted to be similarly devious, yet wound up being completely obvious, without realizing it!

Harm cut off Mac's chuckle with a slow, deep kiss, which quickly led to an enjoyable round of necking. Such simple intimacy was something they had both quickly become used to, despite the long amount of time they'd previously spent leading a single life.

They had chosen to take things slowly, though, so their session didn't progress to anything more, not yet. Despite how comfortable they had quickly become in each other's company, they were both aware of the transition that they'd need to guide Kim through, first, before they let the relationship get too serious.

OOOO


	9. Chapter 10

OOOO

Part 10

Their first trip out as a threesome was to a family oriented wildlife park. Mac and Kim spent the day bonding over their shared love of and interest in animals and Harm felt the whole day went very well, despite the fact that he'd spent most of it watching Mac and Kim's interactions, not the sights of the park around them.

After a few more lunch and dinner dates, with Kim tagging along, Harm got more confident and one weekend chartered a large powerboat. They spent the day anchored off a small island that was popular with the local water-sports enthusiasts. They even had a driver and picnic lunch provided, so they were able to take it easy and just relax, enjoying each other's company.

"Come here, Kim, let me get a layer of this on you before you go out into the sun," Harm held up a bottle of sunscreen, when Kim emerged from the cabin, after putting her swim suit on.

After rubbing a good amount onto her, he allowed her to go and sit on the back platform of the boat, while he got ready for the water himself. Mac had just emerged from the cabin after donning her own swimsuit, along with a short sarong and he was able to head below to get into his trunks, so he didn't keep his daughter waiting.

"Would you watch her for me, while I get ready?" he requested of his companion, who happily agreed, "She's a great swimmer, but I'm not familiar with the currents here, so I'd rather check out the water before I let her in."

When he emerged, Mac was applying her own sun block, while chatting to Kim about how nice and clear the water was, here.

Mac declined a dip in the ocean when Harm and Kim got ready for their swim, opting to catch some sun first, but promised she'd join them at a later time.

They disappeared to the nearby beach for a short time, before Harm returned without Kim.

"She's met a couple of kids on the beach, so she's going to hang out there for a while and I'll go get her when it's time for lunch…Until then, it's just the two of us!"

Mac happily pulled Harm down beside her on the sundeck and treated him to a deep kiss, before they proceeded to chat comfortably, about all manner of subjects, all of no real consequence. In all, their time together was relaxed, but secluded, the boat's skipper having disappeared somewhere to take care of routine maintenance of the boat.

Before they knew it, it was getting on for lunchtime, so Harm went to get their lunch ready, while Mac went to try out the waters and retrieve Kim from the beach.

When she got over there, Kim introduced her to her new friends, a brother and sister, both a little younger than Kim, who were spending the day at the beach with their parents.

After bidding goodbye for a while, they leisurely swam back to the boat, where lunch was ready and waiting for them.

Kim ate a smaller meal than either Mac or her Father, obviously wanting to get back to her friends on the beach, where they had left a large sand castle half-finished.

Harm was happy enough to indulge her, because he knew that the kids were working against the tide, which would soon be rising to cover most of the beach.

Again, Harm and Mac were left on their own, first to finish their leisurely meal, then to retire back to the sundeck, where they indulged in a few more enjoyable kisses!

Mac was getting ready to venture back into the water, when Kim popped up out of the water and climbed onto the swim platform. The tide had come in by now, reclaiming her and the other children's sand castles, so Kim had decided to come back and pick at the remains of lunch.

"I was going to go have a little swim around the island…Would either of you like to come with me?" Mac asked.

Harm agreed immediately then looked to his daughter, hoping that she'd come along and spend some time with them.

Kim decided to forgo more lunch for a while, glad that Mac and her Dad had invited her to spend some more time with them. They never really excluded her during a day out, unless there was something that the two of them wanted to talk about, for a short time, often to do with work matters. They rarely let it interfere during a weekend day out, though.

While Harm and Mac swam slowly, both remaining extremely relaxed, Kim would take a deep breath and duck under the surface to swim down under the water a ways. She'd bought a small diving mask for the trip, so she could get a good look at the undersea life living at the bottom of the shallow lagoon. She wasn't able to hold her breath for very long, so had to bob up to the surface often.

"She's like a little otter," Mac laughed, when Kim ducked back down with a splash.

"She's either got her head up in the clouds, or down underneath the sea," Harm joked, "where it's a whole other world!"

They both chuckled, loudly, lying back to relax, floating on their backs in the calm water, one of their arms outstretched to make contact with the other's hand.

"See anything cool down there?" Harm lifted his head out of the water, when his daughter stopped bobbing up and down, to allow herself time to get her breathing under control.

Kim shrugged, mentioning, "Some gobies and carnivorous mudskippers…Nothing cool like a sea snake, yet."

"Snakes?!" Mac's head quickly lifted out of the water, "I'm not sure that I like the sound of that!"

They all had a good laugh then headed back to the boat, to get showered, changed and a quick bit to eat before they would have to head home.

OOOO

"You're looking very tanned, today, Major!" Ensign Simms commented, when she stopped by Mac's office to drop by some requested files, "Did you have a nice weekend?"

"I had a lovely weekend, Harriet," Mac smiled and her smile showed it, "On Saturday Harm chartered a powerboat and we took a cruise out to one of the islands. Kim was able to play on the beach and in the water and Harm and I got to spend the whole day in the sunshine. He even brought along a picnic."

"That sounds wonderful!" Harriet commented, before leaving the files on the corner of Mac's desk, the area that had become the designated inbox. Harm would tease Mac all the time about her unorthodox filing system, but for Mac, it was as good as having actual in- and out-boxes. She knew where everything was, whether it had just come in, was in progress or had already been signed off on...or so she claimed!

However, Mac and Harriet didn't have much time that morning for anything but a brief chat, because there was so much to get on with, so they suspended their talk until later.

Once lunchtime finally came around, Mac was able to tell Harriet more about her weekend with Harm and his daughter and Harriet told Mac about the weekend she and Bud spent at a beach resort, on an island to the south of Bali.

Mac couldn't help but notice the progress that Bud and Harriet's relationship had made, in the past months. It wasn't that they were taking things particularly fast, but they obviously had less other factors in their lives to consider and plan around. Mac would never resent Kim's influence upon her relationship with Harm, but of course they had to be more cautious than if they were both single and not responsible for anyone else. Mac had quickly come to accept that Kim, as Harm's only child, would always have to come first in their relationship and she held no ill feelings because of it. But Kim seemed to be accepting things well, seemed to accept Mac without reservation or even much pause. That was a relief, at least.

OOOO


	10. Chapter 11

OOOO

Part 11

"What time is your performance, tonight?" Harm asked his daughter, as he dished out a late lunch for her, a few weeks later. He and Mac had plans for that evening, first meeting with some contacts for work, before moving on to get dinner somewhere.

"Uh, I have to be there for seven, for costume and make-up prep and all that, but performance time isn't until eight…"

"Hmmm…Mac and I are in our meeting until around eight-thirty…that's if the people we're meeting are on time. It'll probably be nine before that we'd be able to get there…"

"That's okay, Dad," Kim shook her head, "It's not like you two haven't seen me dance, before."

"But you've got a principal role again," Harm commented, genuinely disappointed.

"I'm sure I'll get another chance," Kim shrugged, "You can both come and watch me then."

"I'll tell you what; you work hard and Mac and I will come and pick you up after our meeting ends, before we go out for something to eat. Sound good?"

Kim nodded around a mouthful of pasta, eagerly.

Neither of them had any idea that tonight would be Harm and Mac's last chance to ever see Kim dance again.

OOOO

The temple car park was clogged with tourist buses when they finally arrived. They had made good time, but not good enough to catch any of the performances, let alone Kim's one.

The tourists were still inside, so they had to slowly pick their way through the crowds, towards the dressing rooms. The atmosphere was jovial and it seemed that the performance had gone particularly well that evening. Kim had explained to her teachers that she had plans after, so she was already waiting for them, dressed and with her make-up removed, when Harm and Mac got to her.

"You ready for some chow?" Harm asked her.

"Definitely!" Kim laughed.

Dinner was an enjoyable affair, perhaps even more so than usual. Harm and Mac were more relaxed around Kim and she didn't seem at all fazed about their more carefree, hands-on, affectionate manner towards each other.

OOOO

Kim sleepily made her way out of her bedroom and down the hall to the bathroom. She heard her Father's voice, downstairs, so assumed that he'd arrived home from his dinner-date with Mac and was dismissing Melissa for the night. Rather than go downstairs to see her Dad, she instead entered the bathroom, nature's call too demanding to ignore. Once she was done, she washed her hands and exited the bathroom, turning out the lights and taking a second to let her eyes adjust again to the lack of light. The sound of the switch for the stairway made her pause. The light-bulb had gone earlier that evening, but because Harm had gone out before nightfall, he hadn't used the light, so hadn't noticed this.

"Damn…Looks like the light's out…watch the stairs, some of them are needing to be repaired, but I haven't gotten round to it, yet."

When Harm appeared at the top of the stairs, Kim realized who he'd been speaking to, because Mac appeared behind him. All three of them froze, when Harm and Mac realized that Kim was there.

"Hi Dad," Kim was the first to break the silence, greeting Mac respectfully, "Hello, Major MacKenzie…Was dinner nice?"

"Yes, dinner was very nice. I was saying to your Father that we'll have to go back there, all three of us, sometime soon," Mac smiled at the child standing before her in the pink and white cotton pajamas.

"Why don't you get back to bed, honey?" Harm suggested, "You've got plans with the Pattersons tomorrow, so you'll have to be up early, to get ready."

"We're going out to that safari park, Major! I told my friend Yan how awesome it was and his Mom and Dad invited me along with them tomorrow!" Kim enthusiastically told the smiling woman standing next to her Dad.

"Sounds like you're going to have a good time," Mac nodded, "You'll have to see if you can get a photo of those camels that were hiding from us, when we were there!"

"I will!" Kim smiled, remembering clamoring all over the car, trying unsuccessfully to get a decent photograph of the shy, new additions to the park.

"Okay, Kim," Harm put his foot down, "Time to say goodnight…"

"G'night Dad," Kim leaned up and gave her Father a kiss goodnight, then turned to Mac and gave her a hug, "Goodnight, Major…See you tomorrow."

Without another word, she disappeared into her bedroom and Harm looked at Mac and vice versa.

"Are you sure this is okay…" Mac began to ask.

"As long as it is with you," Harm took her into his arms, "Nothing has to happen, unless you want it to…"

"I do…I just wasn't sure, with Kim in the house…" Mac trailed off.

"It's okay, Sarah," Harm stroked the hair back from her face, "Kim is really okay with us. I want her to get used to having you around, because I hope that you'll feel comfortable being here a lot, from now on…"

"I'm sure I will," Mac smiled back.

With that, Harm took her hand in his and led her to his bedroom.

OOOO


	11. Chapter 12

OOOO

Part 12

Harm left Mac to sleep, the next morning, while he went to make breakfast for Kim.

But he found that she had beaten him to it, sitting at the kitchen table with a bowl of Cheerios.

"Morning Dad…Has the Major gone, already?" Kim asked, her spoon halfway to her mouth.

"No, she's still sleeping…Does it bother you that she's here? I didn't think it would be a problem, that I brought her home with me."

"No, of course not…I like the Major," Kim shook her head, "I just wondered where she was…"

There was a beep outside and Kim stood to lift her bowl over to the sink.

"That'll be Major and Mrs. Patterson…I'd better go…"

"Okay," Harm gave her a hug, before fishing some money out of his wallet, "I'm sure they'll insist on buying you lunch, they usually do, but I want you to treat everyone to drinks, at least."

"Yes, Dad," Kim nodded.

"And I don't think I even need to tell you to behave, do I?" Harm mused

"No, of course not, Dad," Kim smiled then asked, "Will the Major still be around when I come home?"

"I'm not sure," Harm told her, "Maybe not. I don't know what Mac's plans are, for today. We'll probably head out and get some lunch, but I'm not sure what will happen, after that."

"Okay, well, I'd better go," Kim picked up her bag, "I'll see you later, Dad."

OOOO

Kim was very happy to see that Mac was still there, once she got back, that evening.

"Hi, Major MacKenzie!"

"Hi Kim!" Mac smiled, from where she sat reading the newspaper, at the kitchen table, "Did you have a good day?"

"Yeah! It was great!" Kim took a seat at the table, "I got some great photos of the camels…Major Patterson said he'd get me some copies, because they're on his camera. What did you and my Dad do?"

"We went down to Kuta to get some lunch," Mac told her, "Then we went and did some shopping. Your Dad tells me that it's going to be your birthday in a couple of months."

"Yep," Kim smiled, "I'll be turning eleven. So, did my Dad get me anything nice?!"

Mac laughed, "I don't think I should be telling you anything about that…"

"I'll take that as a 'yes!'" Kim grinned.

"Your Dad is just out getting some groceries, then we'd planned on having a barbecue out in the backyard," Mac let her know.

"That's great!" Kim was delighted that Mac would be staying, but didn't want to seem so enthusiastic, so added, "I love barbecue! But Dad's not that fond of meat…Bet he gets seafood, too!"

Mac just laughed, she'd teased Harm about the same thing, before he'd left for the supermarket.

The evening went great; the two ladies in Harm's life got along very well with each other and Harm reckoned that they were really starting to make headway.

OOOO

It was the next day that Harm noticed a difference in his daughter. She seemed to be quieter than usual, which was saying something because she normally was quite reserved anyway, first thing in the morning, any day during the school week. But today, Kim was showing a strange interest in her breakfast cereal and her posture at the table was uncommonly lethargic.

"Something bothering you, sweetie?"

Kim shook her head, 'no.'

"Then why so quiet?"

"Just thinking…"

"About what?"

Kim seemed to pause, to think through her words first, before she gave voice to them.

"Do you ever wonder why you met my Mom, all those years ago…and not Mac?"

"I met your Mother so that I could have you, which I wouldn't ever change..."

"But if you had met Mac, instead of Mom then you could have been together all of this time…"

"Then I wouldn't have had you…I wouldn't trade that for anything. And this way, I've met Mac and been able to be a Dad to you. That's the best eventuality that could have occurred."

"Do you ever think that fate was maybe…playing some kind of joke on you? That maybe there was some sort of mistake made, which led you to meet Mom and not Mac?"

"Kiiim…I thought we were past this…"

"I know they're not the same person, but…"

"But what!?"

"But they look so alike! Couldn't they have gotten things mixed up?"

"Who?"

"I don't know…somebody…"

"Some divine being? The fates? Kim, you know that life is what we make of it, nothing more. There isn't anybody guiding our decisions like some giant game of 'Battleship.' I've always brought you up to take charge of your own life."

"Many of the people here believe in divine forces…Is that really so terrible?"

Here, Harm really did get unreasonably angry with his child.

"Do you really think that a divine force would allow us to go through all of this, if there was some way to prevent it? Do you?! From the end of your first year up until we got here, we had a miserable life! Did either of us enjoy moving from place to place? Playing 'hunt the absent mother'?"

"Of course not!" Kim struggled to find the words, "But…but who says it has to end as unhappily…That wasn't forever…"

"It sure felt like forever for me," Harm laughed, ruefully, "those six months after your Mother disappeared were the worst of my life. Nobody could give me answers, not even the police. You were unhappy and screaming yourself to sleep every night and I had to figure out a way to search for your Mother and support both of us, at the same time."

"But I don't understand…You said you'd found her…When we came here, you said you'd found her; that all of this would end…But it never did…What happened?"

"You know; your Mother decided to resume her commission, leave Indonesia and take a posting, back in the States."

"I know; I've heard your colleagues mention it, but why? Why would she do that when we came all this way for her? You were supposed to bring her home…"

Harm's temper flared, aimed more at his wife than his daughter, "I did everything I could to get her to come back to us…Told her about you, how you were missing her, how I was missing her…But it wasn't enough. She wanted to stick with the other life she'd made for herself…"

"What?" Kim's voice was quiet and disbelieving.

"She had already found what she wanted out of life…Unfortunately we didn't figure into that; that's why she served me with divorce papers."

"But…but that's not the way it was supposed to happen…"

Kim's words came out of shock more than anything, she was barely aware she had uttered them.

"Damn it, Kim! This isn't some little fairytale out of your book! There isn't a storyline that all of the players have to follow! The sooner you grow up and start living in the real world, the sooner you'll realize how it works and you'll be much happier for it! Your Mother wasn't the beautiful princess who was kidnapped from the prince, against her will…She _left_ us. She chose to dump her husband and child and go to the commanding officer. That doesn't make her either a princess or a villain, just an everyday person, with a will of her own and the ability to make her own decisions. And Mac has not been sent to me by some divine being, to make it up to me because they somehow screwed things up on the first go-around!"

Harm couldn't tell which of them was more shocked, by the time his angry tirade had come to the end. Kim just sat, staring at him with flooded eyes that were so heart-achingly like his own and, even worse, her face reminding him of the unhappy expression his ex-wife had seemed to wear more and more, in the months following Kim's birth.

Harm was really fighting to find something to say, some way to adequately apologize to his daughter, when she pushed back her chair with a harsh scrape, bolting from the table. Once out of the kitchen, she grabbed her book bag in the hall before charging out the front door.

"Kim!"

OOOO


	12. Chapter 13

AN: Thanks for your patience! I've just begun a new job, today, so things have been a little hectic, the last couple of days...Okay, so when we left off things were really starting to heat up! Enjoy! Another chapter will follow shortly!

OOOO

Part 13

"Ensign Roberts? Is Commander Rabb in the office, yet?" Mac asked Bud, as he and Ensign Simms walked past the door to her office.

"The Commander Rabb arrived five minutes ago, Ma'am…But he seems to be troubled, Ma'am. I have files for him, but just couldn't bring myself to bother him."

"Troubled how?"

"I don't know…He seems to be kinda introverted, Ma'am…And rather abrupt with his office implements."

This didn't make much sense to Mac. He'd been the definition of contentment, the night before.

Mac got up from her desk after the ensigns had left, making her way across the bullpen and towards Harm's office on the opposite side of the floor.

She gave a light rap of warning, before letting herself in, as she normally did.

Once she was inside, Harm sighed, before he looked up and realized who it was.

"Oh, hey, Mac…"

'Well, that was far from enthusiastic,' Mac thought to herself.

"You want to tell me what's wrong?"

"It's nothing you should have to worry about as well, Mac."

"But they say that a problem shared is a problem halved."

This was delivered in such a perfectly innocent, deadpan manner that Harm could help but chuckle a little.

Mac really became concerned when this chuckle broke off into a soft sob and she saw that Harm's hand shook as he swiped it across his face.

"She hates me, Mac…"

"Kim? Why?"

"I really lost it, this time…I yelled at her, told her to stop behaving and thinking like a child…She still is a child…What kind of father am I?"

"One who wants the best for his child. All of us lose our patience every now and then, Harm. She'll be okay; she'll forgive you for what you said out of frustration…"

"Not this time," Harm shook his head, "In my anger and stupidity, I blurted out everything…Dianne; Baker; why we're still here, everything! I swore I'd never do this to her."

"Oh, God..." Mac knew how much this child would probably be suffering, now that she knew her own Mother had abandoned her, in order to forge a new life with her lover. And she could see just how much the man she loved (yes, loved!) was suffering because of words said in haste.

"I don't deserve her," Harm began to sob, "She's better off without me…"

"No," Mac drew him in to her, her hands moving comfortingly up to his face then through his hair then down over his back, before repeating it all over again, "Don't say that. You're a wonderful Father and we'll make things right with Kim. It'll just take some time, but we'll make it up to her and things will be like before…"

Mac had no idea just how they were going to do this, but she'd give her all to help Harm fix this.

OOOO

"What do you mean?" Yan stared incredulously at his friend.

"I mean I don't want to go back…Let's stay out here."

The lunch hour had all but disappeared and Yan had stood to lift and shoulder his school bag in preparation for their return to class. But Kim had remained where she sat.

"But…" Yan tried to understand what Kim meant. Surely she wasn't encouraging him to ditch school?

"I don't care," Kim argued even with what little he had managed to say, "Let's not go back to class. I don't want to have to pretend I'm paying attention when I'm not. Let's just stay here and veg out…"

"They'll call our parents if we don't arrive back for class…"

"Oooo!" Kim teased the boy, only half-joking in her anger towards her Father, "I'm shaking in my boots, Yan."

Yan stood in shock for a second, but then joined in Kim's laughter.

"And if our parents or teachers come looking for us and find us? Then what?" he asked, next.

"Then we'll have to make sure that they don't find us, won't we? We'll have to go somewhere they won't think of in a million years!"

As they rode their bikes away from the grounds around the school, Yan continued to think about how oddly Kim had been behaving, today. He liked a bit of fun and rebellion as much as the next person, but this was certainly not like his best friend.

OOOO

"Rabb…" Harm picked up his office phone without using his usual formal reply.

His deep sigh made Mac look up from where she was working on paperwork, on the other side of his desk.

Harm replied with a simple, "Yes, I'll be there…" before hanging up.

"Who was that?" she asked.

"Kim's school. She didn't return to class after lunch…They wondered if I could go down and talk to her teacher."

"C'mon," Mac stood up, offering him a hand to his feet, "Let's go take care of this, shall we?"

OOOO

"What will your Dad say if he finds out we were here?"

"Probably yell at me…Ground until I'm thirty…But I don't care. He doesn't scare me."

Yan thought that the tall Naval officer was very much frightening when angered, even more so than his own Marine Major Father, so hopefully they would never have to explain their presence here at a disused local quarry.

There were all kinds of gems and treasures to be found here, semi-precious and precious stones, but few of the local kids ever dared, because of the sparsely planted, unstable nature of the terrain. What was once the working part of the quarry was now hundreds of metres underwater, and the cliffs surrounding the unintentionally-formed reservoir often gave way under the onslaught of the wind and rain.

They were just sitting in silence, up on a high slope, watching some hunting eagles swooping out over the water in search of prey. After hearing a sound echo from the far side of the reservoir, Yan looked up, noting, "Looks like we aren't the only ones here."

Kim followed his gaze, after being roused from her deep internal thoughts.

She saw that the kids in question were from their school, but in one of the much older, high-school classes.

"What do you reckon they're hunting for?"

Kim just shrugged, not really interested, but Yan stood to edge closer to to where the slope became a vertical drop almost falling straight into the water. He got so far, before the ground seemed to shift slightly beneath his feet.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed, "Did you see that?"

Kim got up from where she sat and moved forward, cautiously.

Yan carefully stuck a leg out far in front of him, bringing it down hard on the ground. The earth disappeared from beneath his very shoe.

"Cool," Kim joined him, giving another kick to the remaining ground; this one much harder than Yan's and again, more earth disappeared rapidly.

Without thought, Kim jumped forward with all her weight, before bouncing back to her original position. The cascade of ground beneath them took them by complete surprise and they just managed to scurry backwards, out of danger.

For a second, they just stared at each other in total shock then broke into hysterical, belly-wrenching laughter.

When they had finally got their breath back, Kim got back to her feet, contemplating for a minute, before stepping forward again.

"Awesome!"

Yan, from his place on the ground, felt the tremor beneath his hands and knees and saw the subtle cracks appear beneath where Kim stood.

"Kim, NO!"

OOOO


	13. Chapter 14

OOOO

Part 14

To tell the truth, Harm was incredibly glad of the company. He didn't think he'd have been able to both drive and descend into panic. And there was no way he could keep from doing the latter, so it was a good thing that Mac had volunteered to both drive and keep him company on the way to Kim's school.

Once they found Kim's teacher, Harm explained that the family was going through some tough times and that he'd find Kim and speak to her. She'd be back in class the next day and she would not give any more problems.

Next, they went back to Harm's house, to look there. After they found nothing but the empty house, they went to their neighbour's house, because Kim's teacher had mentioned that Yan was also missing, so the two were most likely together.

Like Harm, Mrs. Patterson had also received a call from her son's teacher. However, since she did not drive, nor did she have transportation to the school, she had called and requested her husband to go down to speak to the teacher.

Harm let her know that they would drive around the area and bring Yan home with them, if they found the children.

OOOO

It seemed like forever that Yan had been hanging over the cliff, all around them was still silent, apart from the soft noise of gradually trickling dirt and their heavy breathing. He didn't know where the other kids had gone, but he hoped that it was for help. He didn't know how much longer his arms could hold out.

As he thought this, the muscles in his aching hands flexed within Kim's grip. Her other hand tightened, where it was wrapped around his left wrist.

"Please!" her voice sounded both fatigued yet frantic, at the same time, "Please don't let me go…promise me you won't let me go…"

"No," Yan looked her right in the eye, flinching slightly as he felt more ground collapsing beneath his chest and belly, "No, never…"

His shins now really began to burn, from digging the toes of his shoes into the ground as best as he could. But within just one second, he knew; he was not going to let Kim go, but that would not help either of them.

"Help is on the way," he lied, smoothly, saying what he had to for fear that she would be the one to let go of him, "They'll be here to rescue us, soon."

And just like that, there was no time for any more words, only screams, as Yan felt his body being dragged forward, over the cliff.

OOOO

Harm slammed on the breaks, as they passed the village fire station and saw two trucks with their lights flashing, preparing to pull out. Harm didn't know how, but he just knew this was it.

"Harm?" Mac didn't have the opportunity to say anymore, before Harm shoved the gear-shift into 'reverse' and pressed down hard on the gas, to let the vehicles out ahead of him.

Their sirens blaring, the fire trucks pulled out and sped along the main street towards their destination. They fared much better than Harm's beaten-up old car, along the long disused tracks leading to the old quarry. But neither Harm nor Mac said anything, hitting pothole after pothole in tense silence.

It was Yan's Uncle Made, the head of the fire service, who noticed them getting out of their car, after climbing out of the lead truck and beginning to issue orders to his men.

"Commander Rabb…Sir, you shouldn't be here…" the man stammered, when Harm reached him.

"Tell me, Made…Tell me it's not them…"

The man ineffectually tried to grab Harm by the arm and hold him back, but that proved useless, so he tried to get in front of the tall, broad-chested man and hold him back that way.

"Please, Made…Tell me…Is it them?"

By now, several police cars had turned up and the officers hurried over to see what the commotion was all about.

"I'm sorry, Sir…" Made tried to find the words, "It's _is_ them…Please, I have to do my job…You have to stay back and let me go help them."

The clearing originally designated for construction equipment had now become a war-zone of screaming service vehicles; five more police cars and two ambulances had pulled up.

Harm sank to his knees at having his worst fear realized, now giving about as much resistance as a newborn lamb.

As the officers from the various branches of the community emergency services moved into action, Mac dropped beside Harm, holding him to her as he poured out his anguish.

OOOO

It seemed like eternity had passed in that hour and a half.

Harm's car had been left where he had skidded to a halt; he and Mac had been brought to the nearest major hospital in the back of a police vehicle.

The ambulances had left well before them, at almost break-neck speed, to get the critically injured children to the hospital as soon as possible.

As the fire trucks were packing up all of their equipment, Made had taken Harm aside, but Harm was in too much of a mess to understand anything that was being said to him, so Mac had listened to what the fire chief knew of the situation.

"They were up on the east face above the quarry. Then ground underneath them suddenly crumbled and they fell and tumbled nearly 10 storeys, before coming to rest on a ledge exposed by the landslide. They're both critically injured, but if that ledge hadn't caught them, they would have hit the water…"

Mac understood without him having to say it; Kim and Yan would have drowned, had it not been for this stroke of fortune…But critical condition was still a terrible thing, especially after a fall such as that…Mac couldn't bring herself to ask any more.

"She's alive," she told Harm, "She's a fighter; she's going to fight this…"

Harm was in such a mess, he couldn't have asked any questions, even if he wanted to. Right now he was only concerned about getting to his baby-girl.

Mac had first steered him to his car, but one of the police officers had offered to drive them in his cruiser. Mac had felt that was the best option, since she was still visibly shaking and Harm was far from being in any fit state to drive.

After the accompanying police officer had spoken to one of the nurses manning the ER reception desk, another nurse showed them to the waiting room.

"A doctor will come out to see you, once they've been able to assess your daughter's condition."

They were joined, not long later by Made and several other Fire officers, then Yan's parents.

Yan's Father, a Marine Corps Major, kept his composure, even as he asked his brother-in-law what had happened. His iron grip on his wife's hand, however, betrayed his mask of composure. Mrs. Patterson was vocally upset, quietly wailing in the manner that was custom to native Balinese.

Ignoring his wife's outpouring of despair, Doug Patterson requested his wife's older brother to tell him, without sugar-coating it, what the kids' condition was once they had been lifted up cliff-face, before they were transported here.

OOOO


	14. Chapter 15

OOOO

Chapter 15

"The…They had very visible head injuries," Made spoke with obvious pain, trying his best to keep his voice steady, to try and conceal the horror that he'd found waiting for him on that ledge, "E-especially Kim…The doctors will also be worried about spinal injuries, because both of the children fell a long way…"

Mrs. Patterson's keening became louder and Major Patterson put his arm round her, pulling her to him, before looking back to Made to continue.

Made had tears pouring down his face, by now, but didn't let his strong façade slip. The very least he could do for his sister and brother-in-law was to tell them the truth; they deserved that much.

"However, it is the possibility of head injuries that is most worrisome, right now. The doctors will be performing a CT scan, to assess the extent of any damage to the brain and perhaps surgery might be necessary, if there are signs of bad bleeding or swelling."

Harm collapsed into a chair, no longer able to hold his weight anymore. Mac took a seat beside him, taking his hand in hers, again.

"How on earth could this have happened? What were they doing there?"

Major and Mrs. Patterson looked to one-another, both thinking the same thing. Their son was known for his spirited behaviour, even though they all knew that he'd never intentionally put Kim in danger.

Harm saw this visual exchange and moved to censor himself.

"I'm sorry…I'm not thinking clearly…Kim and I had words, just this morning, a very bad argument…She was angry at me for some of the things I said and I suspect it was also her idea to skip school…"

"That is not important, just now," Major Patterson shook his head, "We need to focus on what's ahead of us and how we can best help our children. No matter whose idea it was to cut school and go to that disused quarry, our kids were best friends and would have followed each other anywhere…"

"They were holding hands, when the team managed to get to them," Made revealed, "Even when we were treating them, it took a great deal of persuasion to get them to let go. They weren't completely conscious, but they still tried to keep hold of each other's hand…"

Mrs. Patterson had to excuse herself, at this and her husband quickly excused himself to go after her. Made turned his gaze away, giving Harm privacy as he sought comfort in Mac's arms. They sat like this for a long time, long after Made left to go and write his incident report for the police investigation into the accident, long after Major and Mrs. Patterson returned quietly to the waiting room.

"Major and Mrs. Patterson?"

Everyone's attention snapped to the tall Marine surgeon, who had just appeared in the doorway.

"Yes, Colonel," Doug kept a tight grip on his wife's hand as they stood and moved forward.

"Your son's condition is stable, he's sustained some fairly serious injuries, but he has been extremely lucky to avoid any spinal injuries. He's just being set up in the high-dependency unit, but I expect that he'll be moved to his own private room as soon as tomorrow morning…He's going to be unconscious for a while, yet, but I'll take you to see him, now."

"Oh, thank you…" Yan's Mother wiped away tears of relief, as the surgeon guided them out of the waiting room.

Mac knew that there was probably nothing she could say right now, so she settled for hugging Harm to her, silently conveying strength to him, providing support to his weary body.

They sat in the quiet room for another hour, before a nurse appeared in front of them.

"Mr. and Mrs. Rabb?" the young ensign requested.

"Yes," Harm and Mac stood, ignoring her mistake.

"Kim's doctor, Colonel Redgrave will be with you, shortly. We're just getting your daughter settled in the Pediatric ICU…"

Harm and Mac barely had presence of mind to thank her, before she disappeared back through the doors and into the busy hallway outside.

"She'll be okay," Harm murmured to himself and Mac squeezed his hand, in agreement.

When Colonel Arthur Redgrave came to speak to them, however, it was clear straight away that all was not okay.

"I'm not going to lie to you, Commander, Major…Your daughter's condition is extremely serious."

Mac noted the incorrect assumption he'd made, but instantly brushed it aside as unimportant.

"Give it to me straight, Colonel," Harm nodded in appreciation of the man's straightforward manner. Skirting around things was the last thing he could deal with, just now.

"Kim's condition is extremely critical. At this stage, we're extremely glad that x-rays show that Kim has no spinal injuries, which is almost unheard of, in such instances of a fall from a great height. Kim does however have multiple and very serious head injuries, which have rendered her comatose. We do think that we will have to operate within the next few hours, in order to perform a ventriculostomy. This procedure will drain fluid from inside her head, around her brain, to help normalize the pressure inside of her skull, in case her brain swells to a dangerous level. CT scans have indicated bruising of the brain and some bleeding, both on the surface and between the brain and its protective lining. I thought you would want to spend some time with her, before we take her down to the OR."

OOOO


	15. Chapter 16

OOOO

Part 16

Before he showed them to Kim's room in the pediatric ICU, the doctor warned them again.

"Your daughter has numerous other injuries, the most serious of which is a large skull fracture, a broken collar bone and two broken arms, but at this stage, we are most concerned with the head injuries. Her whole head and facial area is experiencing tremendous swelling, but that is normal and expected, considering what happened to her. Once she's stable, we'll be able to address the other injuries, but we want to make sure she's up to more surgery, before we do."

He showed them to the doorway leading to the pediatric ICU and Mac momentarily hesitated, wondering if it was really her place to go inside with Harm. Military hospitals usually limited access to family members, particularly in the higher-dependency units.

"Please…" Harm tightened his grip on her hand, "I don't think I can do this alone…"

That was all Mac needed to convince her; she may not be a family member, but Harm was and she was the only person here to support him during this terrible ordeal. She'd come to love him deeply over the last few months and there was nothing she wouldn't do for him or his daughter.

"Oh God!" Harm exclaimed, once they were inside the door, the grip of his hand almost crushing hers for a second or two, "She's so small…"

Kim's tiny, but swollen frame was dwarfed by all of the machines and the lengths of tubing and wires surrounding her. A nurse was already in with her, checking Kim's vital signs and all the of the machine readouts.

"Don't worry, Mr. and Mrs. Rabb," she told him kindly, "I'm sure that this is a lot to take in, but all of these machines are only here to help your daughter. Just you two take a seat here and if you have any questions or need anything, a nurse should be in and out every five or ten minutes."

Harm and Mac sunk into the two chairs that the nurse had pulled up beside Kim's bed, never taking their eyes off the bed's tiny occupant. The rhythmic noises of the machines and monitors were the only noise in the room.

As promised, nurses were in and out regularly, taking notes of Kim's vitals and adjusting the machine settings as needed. After just under an hour, however, one of the nurses hurried out of the room, returning shortly with Colonel Redgrave.

"What's wrong, Sir?" Harm asked fearfully, when the nurse immediately showed the surgeon something on the monitors.

"Your daughter's vitals are becoming more erratic, Commander, Major. We're assuming that this is because of building pressure inside her head. Her condition is not as stable as I'd like it to be, but I'm afraid that we'd be foolish to wait much longer to operate. We need to perform the ventriculostomy, to counteract the brain swelling that Kim's beginning to experience. We had hoped that medication would control the worst of it, but it appears to be much worse than we were expecting. At the same time, we'd like to perform another CT scan, so we can monitor the brain bleeding that we discovered, earlier."

"I'll sign what I need to, whatever will help her," Harm didn't hesitate to reply, asking, "Is this surgery going to be a major risk to my daughter, Colonel?"

"It will be very serious," the tall colonel admitted, "but nowhere near as dangerous as leaving your daughter in the condition she is now, Sir. I'm going to ask a colleague of mine to consult with me on this surgery. I have built up a great deal of respect for him in the time I've been working here in Indonesia. Colonel Grant has spent much of his career working on the frontlines of war and treating a great number of patients who have sustained head-injuries similar to your daughter's. He will have invaluable expertise, so together we will know best how to proceed, once the ventriculostomy is done and Kim's condition has stabilized."

A nurse came and took Harm to the nurse's desk, while Mac stayed with Kim, as the doctor and nurses prepared her for surgery.

"She's very like you, Colonel," one of the nurses commented, while they arranged the wires and tubing so that they wouldn't get in the way and prepared the machines for transport.

Mac didn't have the strength to explain that it was just coincidental, since she wasn't biologically related to Kim at all, so she just smiled and commented, "You're not the first person to tell me so!"

Once they had everything ready, they told Mac that they would wait just outside the door, so that Harm could finish with all the forms and then the two of them could have some privacy with their child before they took her downstairs to the OR.

"You can touch her, Ma'am," another nurse told her, reassuringly, "Just be careful of the wires for the monitors."

Mac leaned over and kissed Kim carefully on a small patch of skin, in the middle of her forehead, one of the few places where Kim wasn't either bruised, scraped or cut. Harm soon joined them and for a few minutes, they were left alone with the child.

"We'll have to take her now, Sir, Ma'am," a nurse apologized, once she slipped back into the room, "We'll take very good care of your daughter, while she's downstairs with us."

"Thank you, Ma'am," Harm told her, before he leaned down once more, for a final kiss to Kim's bruised, battered face.

"Stay strong, baby-girl," he told Kim, "The doctors are going to take care of you now and Mac and Daddy will wait up here for you to come back, okay? We love you…"

"Yes, we do," Mac nodded in agreement, stroking Kim's cheek gently with the back of her hand, "We'll see you soon, sweetie."

After she was wheeled out, Harm couldn't hold back any longer and sank into Mac's arms, where he let out all of the emotions he'd been keeping inside, ever since they got to the hospital.

Mac maneuvered them back into a couple of chairs, holding him as he found a cathartic release for his emotions, her heart breaking for him.

OOOO


	16. Chapter 17

AN: Okay! A new chapter! I am a complete layman when it comes to the subject of traumatic brain injury, apart from a unit I did for my psychology degree. From what I was able to tell, it is an extremely hard situation for the patient's family and it must be very overwhelming and frustrating (especially over a long period of time,) because I didn't have a clue about some of the medical terminology! I apologise for any rookie mistakes, but it's been nearly 3 years since my classes. Thanks for the indulgence; I unfortunately don't have the time to do all the research that I used to.

OOOO

Part 17

A nurse came in to inform them once Kim had been taken from pre-op into the OR for surgery, telling them that it would most likely be an hour or two before the surgery finished, after which they'd be taking Kim for more CT scans, if her condition was stable enough.

After just one hour, Harm was terribly restless, so Mac suggested that they go for a short walk, just to channel their nervous energy into something else.

"We could see if there is a hospital chapel, if you'd like?" Mac suggested, not knowing much about Harm's reigious beliefs.

"I was thinking that I'd like to check on Yan, actually," Harm shook his head, knowing that the hospital chapel was probably the last place he should be, when he was in this frame of mind. Over the years since his ex-wife's disappearance, he'd drifted away from the Christian roots his Mother and Grandmother had instilled in him.

They found Yan's Father at the vending machine outside, getting himself and his wife some coffee.

"Commander, Major… How is Kim?" the man was anxious, despite the good prognosis his son had been given.

"Kim's been taken downstairs for surgery," Harm told the man, his expression grim, "She has some very serious head injuries, Doug. Her brain is swelling and they are going to do some procedure to insert a shunt, to help control the pressure inside her skull."

"I'm so very sorry to hear that, Harm…Kim will be in my family's prayers…"

"How is Yan doing, Colonel?" Mac asked.

"He's concussed and is still unconscious, but the doctors expect him to make a full recovery. My wife is still somewhat afraid to leave him though. I was just about to bring her some coffee."

"We won't keep you, Doug," Harm patted him on the arm, "When he wakes up, please give Yan our best wishes."

"Thank you so much Commander. Our very best wishes to Kim, also."

After that, Harm and Mac went down to the hospital cafeteria. They didn't like the look of anything in the vending machines and even though neither one felt hungry, they knew they'd have to keep their strength up over the next few hours, or they'd be exhausted by the time Kim was brought back upstairs.

They spent nearly an hour downstairs in the cafeteria, before they decided they should get back to the pediatric floor to wait for any news. A nurse came to them, just as they stepped out of the elevator.

"Colonels Redgrave and Grant have been in touch, Commander, Major…The surgery has gone very well and they are feeling confident enough to prepare Kim for some CT scans. It shouldn't be too much longer, now."

They both thanked the woman before returning to Kim's room. Uncomfortable silence filled the room, until Mac bit the bullet.

"I was thinking that we'll all need some things for the next few days…Clothes, toiletries and that. Once Kim is brought back upstairs, would you like me to head to your house and gather some things together, for you?"

"It's getting very late," Harm shook his head, "I'd rather wait until the morning, but thanks…I just don't want to be worried about you, too, out on the roads at this time."

"Okay," Mac nodded, understandingly, "It'll wait until tomorrow morning…"

The next hour was just as terminable as the last had been, but knowing that the risky surgery had been gone well was a small part of the emotional load off their minds.

They almost jumped right out of their seats, as the door bumped open, to admit Kim's hospital bed.

"This is one heck of a little fighter you've got here, Lt. Commander, Major…" Colonel Redgrave greeted them, then introduced them to the other surgeon who had joined in the surgery straight from another serious emergency surgical case, "This is Colonel Grant, the surgeon who assisted me your daughter's surgery and will take the lead in the interpretation of the results of Kim's CT scan. Grant, this is Lt. Commander and Major Rabb, Kim's parents."

Harm and Mac quickly glanced at each other, neither sure if they should bring up their actual association to each other. Through silent agreement, they both agreed that it was probably best left until another time.

"Commander, Major…Sorry, I would have come to meet you before the surgery, to explain everything to you, but I was in another surgery and moved straight into your daughter's, after that. "

"Please, just call us Harm and Mac," Harm interjected, "It's simpler and less confusing than using rank. Thank you so much for your help, Colonel Grant."

"That's quite alright, Harm. That's one heck of an officer-in-the-making you've got there. Kim's the one who has done most of the hard work. She came through the surgery like a champ and was stable enough to be taken right in for the CT scans. After the nurses have gotten her all settled here, Colonel Redgrave and I will go and take a closer look at the scan results, so that we can give you a fuller, updated picture on Kim's condition."

After Kim was settled, the nurses left them alone once again, so they could take some private time together.

"Welcome back, my little warrior! You have no idea how worried Mac and I have been about you!" Harm kissed his child's forehead, his expression as reverent as that of a pilgrim worshipping a holy figure, "I'm so proud of you for fighting so hard. Keep up the good fight, sweetie. Mac and I are right here alongside you."

OOOO


	17. Chapter 18

OOOO

Part 18

It was a further forty minutes before Kim's doctors came back, having gone over her scan results.

"I wish I could tell you more than I already have, Commander, Major, but Kim's scans show little difference from the first set we took today. There is still some slight bleeding going on in several places inside Kim's brain, but the fact that it hasn't gotten much worse is a definite positive sign. Much of the swelling comes from the areas around the skull fracture and where the contusions have occurred..."

"Are these areas of damage likely to cause Kim any significant…im-impairment, once she comes home?" Harm could not help but feel rather overwhelmed by the terminology used.

Here, the second doctor took over, since he had much more experience in the field of traumatic brain injury.

"At this point, while Kim is still comatose and unconscious, it is very hard to say. We know what functions these affected areas of the brain control, but the extent of any damage very much depends on the impact sustained and will vary, from person to person. The bleeding now seems to be minimal, so we are hopeful that it won't get any worse, but we can only observe Kim's functioning when she wakes up, in order to best assess the damage. Anything else would only be conjecture."

"How large are the areas that have received damage? Did Kim sustain many blows to the head?" Harm asked

"Two areas of bleeding are much larger and more serious, but the third is much, much slighter, much less serious. Based on these injuries, we think there were only two blows to Kim's head"

"But how? I thought Kim had bleeding in three areas…" Mac shook her head.

"Multiple areas of damage, such as the ones that Kim has, are caused by the brain impacting against the inside of the skull. That is why there's usually more than one, since the brain does not remain static, but often bounces back and forth a few times. This is called 'contracoup.' As far as the extent of these areas of bleeding, they are serious, but I've often seen worse, in my career. In a few hours, we'll take some more scans, so that we can ascertain if the bleeding has completely stopped, in all areas. If it has, we'll make a decision about whether to operate, to remove the blood clots."

"And the skull fracture?" Mac asked, "How serious is that?"

"It is a large fracture," Grant admitted, "but it isn't depressed, so there is no injury to any of the protective linings that surround the brain. That reduces the chances of infection, substantially. We are more concerned with the blood clots and the swelling, at this time. All her other injuries will heal with time, but we have to focus on doing whatever we can to treat the damage and minimize the swelling."

Harm and Mac nodded in understanding.

"Do you have any idea when she might wake up, Colonel?"

"I'm afraid that is up to Kim…"

Once they were alone again, Harm and Mac settled back into one another's embrace.

"I can't believe this is all happening…I really should go call my parents, but I'm afraid to leave her…"

"I'll stay with her, if you're ready…If not, let's give it another hour then you can consider it again…"

"It's not like an hour more will make a difference," Harm shook his head, "I'm still probably going to be as much of a mess then as I am now…I think I should just go make the call. It's only going to get harder to tell them what I have to."

He stood up from his seat and Mac squeezed his hand, encouragingly.

"Okay, we'll be right here. Don't worry; I'll take good care of Kim."

Harm gave her a grateful smile, forcing himself out the door and to the nurse's station.

"Could you tell me where the nearest payphone is, please?"

OOOO

Despite their protests, Harm convinced his Mother and Stepfather to remain in the States. It was a long journey to get from La Jolla to Bali and there was little they could do, if they were to travel all that way.

Over the next day, Kim's condition remained the same. There was no improvement, but conversely, there was no decline. The scans indicated that bleeding had indeed stopped in all three areas of injury, but Colonels Grant and Redgrave wanted to hold off on more serious surgery for now. They did, however take Kim down to the OR, in order to insert a plate into her broken collarbone and some pins into the fractured bones of her right arm. Her fractured right arm had been set and plastered without much trouble, before she was moved down to the OR.

When Colonels Grant and Redgrave came around to examine Kim again, that evening, Redgrave explained the whole procedure, while Grant performed the neurological exam.

"Doctor Grant is performing the neurological exam, called the Glasgow Coma Scale, to assess Kim's state of consciousness. When she was first admitted, we did the same series of tests and came to the conclusion that she was not just unconscious, but comatose. She was unresponsive and unaware of anything going on around her. She did not exhibit normal sleep-wake cycles, she could not be roused by stimuli that were uncomfortable or even painful. I know this may not make any sense to you, but it is a necessary and useful way for us to assess her condition and by recording all this, it will help us better provide rehabilitation, once she wakes up. And by scoring Kim on each of the different sections of this exam, we are able to see how her condition improves…"

"It seems like Kim's condition has improved, slightly," Grant interrupted, "But she is still deeply comatose…She is still scoring well below 8 on the Glasgow Coma Scale, but this is normal for an individual who is comatose, especially one like Kim, whose eyes are unable to open and who is unable to speak anyway, due to massive facial swelling. This scale is also very useful once patients have emerged from coma, because it helps us assess their present state, track their improvement and assess their injuries, once they condition has stabilized."

OOOO


	18. Chapter 19

OOOO

Part 19

Over the next three days, the entire staff were walking on eggshells, although they were careful not to show this to either of the child's parents. Kim was now stable enough to go through surgery to insert drains that would remove the blood clots on her brain. Afterwards, it was more common during this time for the patient to show signs of other complications, many of which could pose a serious risk to the patient. These included epilepsy, several types of stroke, infections, pulmonary and heart dysfunction, excessive blood clotting and cranial nerve injuries.

CT scans and an MRI thankfully concluded that such complications would be unlikely. However, Kim stubbornly remained deep within the coma.

On the fifth day after Kim and Yan's admission, Colonel and Mrs. Patterson showed up at the door to the PICU, to see how Kim was doing. Harm and Mac had just received confirmation that they both had extended compassionate leave, so they had settled into some comfortable chairs that had been brought to them by the nurses, that morning.

"Yan's doctor has ruled out him moving from his bed," Colonel Patterson explained, as they took seats, as well, "but he was very eager to accompany us, to see Kim."

"That was very thoughtful of him," Mac smiled, suggesting, "While Harm tells you about how Kim is doing, perhaps I could go and keep him company?"

Both Patterson adults thought that this was a good idea, so Mac went looking for the private rooms, on the other side of the pediatrics floor.

Yan was sitting silently on his bed, staring unseeingly at the window, so Mac gave a soft knock on the open door before she went in.

"Hello, Yan," she greeted the boy who watched her enter silently, "It's good to see that you're doing so well. How have you been feeling, sweetie?"

"I'm okay…my head still hurts, a little," Yan replied, quickly diverting, "How is Kim?"

"She was pretty badly hurt, Yan. She's in a coma, just now," Mac explained, as gently as she knew how to.

Yan's head dropped and Mac could see tears well and fall from his puffy eyes.

"It's all my fault," his voice was husky with self-recrimination and Mac could tell that he was exerting effort not to break into sobs.

"No, Yan, no," Mac went over and sat on the edge of his bed, reaching to put an arm around the boy, "It was an accident that nobody could have foreseen. Nobody is to blame. Accidents happen, sometimes."

"We shouldn't have been there, but I never said anything when Kim didn't want to go back to school."

"Kim was upset, that day. She'd had an argument with her Dad, but nobody could have known what would happen…"

"I said I wouldn't let her go…I was hanging over the cliff, after all of that earth collapsed underneath her, and I didn't let her go, but I couldn't hold on, I got pulled over the edge…We started to scream, but before I knew it, we'd hit the ground and she wasn't screaming anymore. I started to cry because I realized…I had landed on her…I hurt her!"

"Oh, Yan," Mac gently cuddled him to her, "That wasn't your fault…That was completely beyond your control, honey. You couldn't have done anything…It's not your fault."

She held him as he cried himself to sleep, but it was only after this that she noticed the adults standing outside the room.

"He asked about Kim and I didn't know what to tell him…"

"He has been asking questions since he woke up," Doug revealed, "We haven't lied to him. We never tell him anything but the complete truth, because he would invent terrible scenarios in his head, if we didn't."

"Thank you for comforting my son, Major," Mrs Patterson hugged Mac, appreciatively, then crossed to where her son was now sleeping, taking up the vacated perch at his bedside.

"Thank you, Colonel," Colonel Patterson shook her hand.

After that, Mac went back to Kim's room in the pediatric ICU, where she found that Harm had, for the first time since she had returned to the family home to retrieve clothes and toiletries, unpacked Kim's small, bright pink, fuzzy backpack. He was now reading to her from her favourite book of Balinese tales. Mac took a seat again and watched Harm at his paternal best.

While he read to his child, Harm was remembering precious moments he'd had with her, over the years. Her first day of school, her first dance performance, each and every one of her birthdays…Despite having to travel a lot, during his time here, he'd managed to spend each and every birthday with her. How he wished he'd have her back with them, before she reached the next one. With Mac with them and the three of them getting on so well, it could have been such a wonderful day…Harm just hoped that it still might be.

A short while later, Mac stepped out to go and get them both some coffee, because both she and Harm were feeling so sleepy. When she returned, he was already fast asleep, head on the bed beside Kim, the book lying open beside him. Mac put the coffee down and took a seat on the other side of the bed. She picked the book up off the bed, intending to start again where Harm had left off, but stopped in her tracks when something fell out of it and onto the floor. Picking it up, Mac found what she thought was a piece of paper was actually a small photograph of a woman dressed in Navy uniform.

No wonder Kim had reacted as she did, Mac realised, taking in the photograph of the woman who could be her double. Even from just this photograph, it was plain to see that the two of them could be long-lost twins. If they had not had different birth-years, Mac might just think that they were twins, separated at birth. But when she looked closer, she saw what Harm had told her. There was something about this woman's eyes; they seemed empty and, just like Harm had described, almost cold. Mac had no idea when in her relationship with Harm this had been taken, but she could tell that the woman in the photo was not a happy person. She'd had a loving husband and a beautiful baby girl who both doted and relied upon her. It was more than her own Mother had had, but for some reason, she hadn't been happy with this. She had sought a relationship with her husband's CO, left her husband and child behind, without so much as letting them know…Mac would never understand it, anymore than she would ever understand how her Mother could abandon her. Twice, since she had not heard from her Mother since they'd swapped addresses and parted ways after her Father's funeral. She really doubted she ever would, since it appeared that her Mother had moved and now she herself had moved halfway across the world. But that was all done, now. Nothing would change that and if Mac was really honest with herself, it was their loss. Mac knew she had good reason to be proud. She had a great career and now she'd found happiness with a wonderful man…who had a wonderful daughter. Things might be uncertain just now, but there was just no way that things might not work out…Kim just had to be okay.

OOOO


	19. Chapter 20

OOOO

Part 20

On the tenth day of Kim's coma, Harm sat alone at her bedside, in the Pediatric ICU. He had convinced Mac to go home and get some sleep in a proper bed, which they'd both been short on, since they came to be here. Mac had problems with insomnia, which flared up when her sleep patterns became erratic, so Harm insisted that she take care of herself. He really didn't pay any regard to his own state; he wouldn't be able to relax his mind enough to sleep within the next 10 or so hours, but he wouldn't have any ill-effects because of it.

When Mac returned, he asked how she had slept. It had been quite a while, so he assumed that she'd gotten some good sleep.

"Not that well," she replied, "I couldn't get my mind to shut down. Eventually I got an hour or so, but I knew that I might have trouble getting back here, so I set off early."

Harm had completely forgotten that today was Nyepi, New Year according to Bali's unique form of Hinduism. The day before, Harm had caught a brief glimpse of the festivals on the television in Yan's room. Today really contrasted to yesterday, when large, colourful sculptures of 'Ogoh-ogoh,' fearsome puppets were paraded down the street and eventually burned to scare away evil spirits that were said to drift upon the winds across the seas and to the island of Bali. Today was known as a day of silence. Even tourists were encouraged to stay at home and refrain from making noise, lest the evil spirits hear it and return to haunt the island. Harm mused, sadly, how his usually vibrant, lively child would not provide any opposition to that edict, today.

"Did anyone give you any trouble?" Harm asked.

Mac shook her head. It was indeed a problem that they really didn't need, today. Any other time, they were respectful of the practices of others, but today they were just dealing with too much to worry about more.

Harm stood up to stretch, since he hadn't moved once since Mac had left them. Mac slipped into the space he'd vacated beside the bed, leaning down to kiss Kim on the forehead and stroke her hand. When Kim's hand twitched in response, Mac nearly jumped back.

"What happened?" Harm immediately knew something had happened by Mac's tense frame, although he hadn't seen Kim's movement.

"Kim moved…She moved her hand!" Mac reported, now beginning to really believe what her eyes had seen, "Go and get a nurse!"

Harm ran straight to the door and called to the nearest nurse walking down the hallway.

She quickly dropped whatever task she had been taking care and followed Harm briskly into the room.

She was taking note of all of Kim's vitals, when another nurse leaned into the room, to find out what was going on.

"Call Colonels Grant and Redgrave," the first nurse quickly ordered the second.

When the two surgeons arrived, Kim still hadn't moved again, but Harm and Mac were still optimistic that they weren't mistaken.

Colonel Grant again began to perform the GCS neurological exam, going through all of the items on the scale, which included best verbal response, best eye response and best motor response. Of course, Kim could not make a verbal response to any stimuli, though Colonel Grant found that her pupils were now reacting to light. Their reaction was not 100 normal, yet but it was a vast improvement on what they had previously managed. Also, when Colonel Grant put pressure on the bed of Kim's fingernail, reflex kicked in and her arm attempted to pull away from the slightly painful stimulus. Running his pen along the bottom of her foot, he found the same thing with her leg. Colonel tried the same tests using other stimuli, such as verbal instruction, supra-orbital pressure to the area above one of her eyes and pressure to her sternum. She did not respond to the command to open her eyes, but her wrist flexed in response to the second of these stimuli. At the last of these stimuli Harm and Mac gasped, when Kim's startlingly blue eyes shot wide open.

"Is she in pain?" Harm would have stepped forward to stop the doctor, had his colleague not been standing right in front of him.

"I know this is difficult for you to watch, Commander, but these pressures are not painful so much as uncomfortable. They indicate that Kim is no longer in a coma, because she is managing to respond, albeit on a more primitive level. She's improving, definitely improving. We need to take it day by day, introduce some physical therapy and see what happens. We may be able to remove her breathing apparatus, soon."

"Will she wake up soon?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that, anymore than I could have told you how long she would remain in the coma. I'm so sorry Commander. This is up to Kim. She's had a lot of injuries to recover from. The surgery and the medications can only help so much. But she's a fighter; she's gotten this far, without many setbacks, which is almost unheard of in a case such as hers."

OOOO


	20. Chapter 21

OOOO

Part 21

Over the next few days, Harm often remained deep in thought, as did Mac. During this time, he swung back and forth between disbelief, anger and thinking about provisions he could make for the future. Many times, he wondered if he should ask about transferring Kim to a hospital Stateside, or even one closer to Indonesia, one which would have better rehab facilities. In the end, he decided that she was holding her own and a flight overseas would be more of a risk, right now.

Mac was wondering what the implications would be, in the long-term. Colonel Grant had told them that any of Kim's systems could be affected by the damage to her brain, including sensory, memory, verbal, motor or perhaps more than one. Or she could show few, very subtle symptoms of impairment, that might not necessarily affect her daily functioning at all. A thought had come to Mac, during one of the long periods of silence.

If Kim awoke with significant deficits to her memory, things could get very uncomfortable, or even distressing. She might not remember who Mac was. She might not remember that Mac was dating her Father. She might not even remember that Mac was not her Mother…But all of these possibilities were much better when faced with the prospect of Kim not recovering well or, God-forbid, not waking up. After he had lost so much in life, Mac knew that Harm would never be the same without his daughter, physically or otherwise.

OOOO

Two weeks later…

Even Colonel Grant was pleasantly surprised with the progress that Kim was making. On the day of her eleventh birthday, she could now open her eyes, albeit with a little difficulty, when asked. They were able to remove the breathing tube from her throat, so she was also making noises, but they could not yet be distinguished as actually words. Once assured that she was not moaning because she was in any pain or discomfort, Harm was delighted with this development. Kim's pupils were also behaving normally and she attempted to move her plastered right arm up towards her face, if supra-orbital pressure was applied to either of her eye sockets.

It was too early to say anything for certain, but Colonel Grant indicated that he was very confident of at least a partial recovery.

"I wish I was there, that last time…" Harm mused, the next day, as they were sitting quietly around Kim's bed.

Pamela and James Greene had just stopped by the deliver a gift basket, a teddy bear and balloons for Kim and to offer encouragement to Harm and Mac. Previously they had known that it was too early, that Kim's condition was too precarious to contemplate anything celebratory, though they had come in regularly to support Harm and Mac.

"Huh? At the temple, you mean?" Mac asked, obviously not privy to Harm's inner thoughts, "When she danced the lead role, again?"

Harm nodded, dropping his head into his hands, remembering so many of the times he'd taken Kim along to classes in her first year there, when she was not confident enough to go along on her own, yet.

"She was so excited that she was getting another chance to dance lead. I really thought this was going to be the beginning of something special for her…Instead, she'll probably never be able to dance again…"

"Harm, this wasn't your fault…" Mac reached for his hand.

"Wasn't it?" Harm was upset and wasn't as successful in keeping his voice under control, "I was the one who sent her out of the door, that day, with the weight of everything that happened on her shoulders. No child should have to deal with that! What kind of Father am I?!"

"You are human, you made a mistake," Mac shook her head, "You had no control over the things that happened after she left, that day. But Kim, wherever she is just now, knows you love her and that she is the most important thing in your life…No matter what, she knows that she can always come to you and depend on you…and if you're having a hard time and you don't think that you can manage on your own, you don't even have to ask me. I can be strong enough to help the two of you, when you need it, okay?"

Harm nodded, taking Mac's hand in his, raising it to his, mumbling, "Thank you…I have the feeling that I'm going to have to take you up on that offer many times, before I get my bearings. "

"I'll help you as much as you need me to…But I've been considering a few things, this past week…I've been a little concerned about what may happen, when Kim wakes up."

Harm admired the confidence in Mac's voice. He hadn't quite managed to quiet the little voice in the back of his mind; sometimes he found himself about to say 'if' and not 'when.'

"What will happen, if Kim should wake up with her memory not intact, in some way? It may get a little…"

"Difficult," Harm finished her thought, nodding. He hadn't quite considered things this in depth, but it was immediately clear that Mac was right. What if Kim didn't remember Mac? What if she remembered details and pictures of her mother, but had no recollection of Mac?

"She may get very upset, if she believes that I'm her Mother, only to have us tell her that I'm not. We were so careful, introducing our relationship to her, but she was still disrupted as it was, especially after things got off to a rocky start."

"And in the blink of an eye, we could be back to step one," Mac nodded.

A throat cleared in the still of the room and Harm and Mac turned towards the door, to find Colonel Grant in the doorway.

"I'm sorry to intrude on such a personal moment, but I was hoping I could talk to you about Kim's condition and after what I inadvertently heard, I think that this may be the perfect opportunity."

OOOO


	21. Chapter 22

OOOO

Part 22

"Is Kim okay, Doctor?" Harm didn't miss the hint of concern in the learned man's voice.

"Kim is continuing to show improvements, Commander Rabb," Grant immediately moved to calm Harm, "The latest CT scans have shown marked improvement in the state of the bruising and areas of damage. However, like you said, we cannot be sure that Kim won't come out of this with significant deficits. I'm not saying we should borrow trouble, but I must prepare you for anything. From what we can say about the areas of Kim's brain sustain that have sustained damage, there is the distinct possibility that Kim's memory may be affected. But let me say this; if it does turn out that Kim's memory is impaired, she has got one factor very much on her side; she is still young. In the brain of a young person, the neural pathways have much more plasticity. We've even seen synaptic pathways reorganize themselves, to re-route around damaged areas. As a person gets older, all of their neural pathways do still have plasticity, but it is much more difficult to provide them with the rehabilitation necessary for them to recover functioning to the same level. New nerve cells can be formed, but evidence has only been observed in some areas of the brain. When we see such patients, they usually only recover to a certain degree, depending on the damage that was sustained. After the first year or so, we see any improvement tail off and eventually cease altogether. But in a young person, the brain is still developing, still evolving. There is real hope, because new pathways can be formed, connections rerouted and the child's intellectual development can continue, unfettered."

"So there is hope for Kim in the long-run, if she shows signs of even major deficits?" Harm asked, "How about if she has lost portions of her memory? Are you saying that these could come back?" Harm asked.

"Most likely not," Colonel Grant shook his head, "It all depends on which memory processes are affected. If she has lost long term memories, it is possible that the memories of her past won't come back. But memory is a very complex thing, it is not as cut and dry as the movies like to portray. I couldn't help but hear you mention that you're concerned that Kim might not remember you, Ma'am…You two have a relatively young relationship? I never would have guessed; Kim looks just like you, Major."

"That is partly the problem, you see, Colonel…" Harm explained.

"Coincidentally, I bear a remarkable resemblance to Kim's Mother," Mac attempted to explain, as succinctly as she possible, "My first meeting with Kim was a little awkward, but slowly and carefully, we introduced both myself and our relationship to Kim and we were really starting to go places. Now, if Kim has sustained memory damage, it could be very difficult and very confusing for her. We may need to put some safeguards in place, so that Kim doesn't suffer any setbacks in her condition because of this…"

"I can see how difficult this may be…You're concerned that your daughter will first assume that Mac is her Mother and that the two of you are still together?"

"Something like that…Back together," Harm nodded, "and that all the progress we've made getting her to bond with Mac, these last months, will also be for naught."

"I think that we should probably wait to see exactly what we are dealing with. As I said, the term 'memory problems' could describe any number of memory processes and may not involve the time period that the three of you spent bonding and building your new family unit. I understand how upsetting and worrying this all has to be for you, but try not to borrow trouble until we know for sure if there are any."

But despite the Colonel's reassurances, Harm and Mac continued to worry about what the future would hold for them.

Mac walked back into the PICU, a few hours later, after going back home and to Harm's house to gather fresh clothes for both of them. Harm had been very nervous and clingy since their talk with Colonel Grant, earlier and Mac wondered whether he was just taking some time in coming to terms with what they'd been told, or if he could sense something. She'd had some similar experiences herself in the past, days when she _just knew_ something was going to happen, before it actually did. Mac shooed the thought away, she had to stay positive and rational; Harm would have no use for a basket case.

Harm was leaning over in his chair beside his little girl, his face buried in the edge of Kim's bed. The shaking of his shoulders told Mac that he was losing his hold on control, but was trying to do so quietly.

"Harm, honey…" Mac put the travel bags down and crossed to his side, squatting down so that she got a better look at his face.

Silent tears of despair were rolling down his face, which was scarlet from the tips of his nose and ears, right down to the skin disappearing under the v-neck of his sweater, with the effort of keeping everything inside, under wraps.

"Aw, sweetie…"

"I've failed her…She could end up bedridden for the rest of her life and it would all be my fault…My poor baby girl…"

Mac pulled Harm to herself, but both of them jumped apart when they heard a mumbled sound from further up on the bed.

"Daa…deee…"

"Kim!" Harm's voice was whispered and reverent, "Baby, can you hear me?"

The silence of the next few seconds seemed deafening, the two of them sat frozen, tensely anticipating an answer, pleading for it.

"Daddy…"

"Yeah, baby…Daddy's right here…Mac and Daddy are right here. Don't you worry, we'll stay right here with you, until you're able to wake up."

Kim grumbled and moaned some more for a few minutes and Harm and Mac took turns reassuring her that she was safe, until she drifted back into a peaceful sleep. After that, Mac briefly went to go and inform the nurse, who in turn called Kim's Doctor.

Colonel Grant was not on duty until the next morning, but Colonel Redgrave made it to Kim's bedside within twenty minutes, even though he had to cross from another building and ascend four floors.

"Kim has been talking?" he asked, immediately checking on Kim's vitals and examining her, quickly.

"She said 'Daddy,'" Harm told him, "Twice…I know that doesn't seem much, but didn't Colonel Grant say something about actual words being better than the garbled sounds she was uttering before?"

"Yes…Can you tell me, did she seem disoriented, or was she calm and understanding of what was around her?"

"Well, she really sounded confused, more than anything…Mac?"

"Yes, she was definitely confused. She didn't seem able to open her eyes at all, didn't seem to know what was going on around her. She seemed quite distressed…Is that bad?"

"Not in terms of her recovery…It is normal and would follow the normal route that other patients recovering from a traumatic brain injury do. I'll need to ask Colonel Grant to perform the GCS exam again, before I can confirm anything, but it seems like Kim is improving, judging by the way she'd now score on the best verbal response part of the exam."

"So you think this is a definite improvement…Do you think she could wake up, sometime soon?"

"It is still too early to say conclusively, of course, but it certainly seems to be more likely…"

Harm took another look at his daughter. She appeared to be sleeping peacefully, once again, so at least he knew she hadn't been in any pain, just a state of confusion. She was a fighter, she always had been, from the day she had been born, for she had become such a well-adjusted, sociable kid, despite the fact that she'd had no mother-figure in her life, since before she could remember and her Father had been distant and otherwise occupied, at best. There was no way she could possibly come out of this a shadow of her former self! Harm just could not bring himself to comprehend the possibility. She'd already been through so much, on her short life.

"I'm going to let Colonel Grant know about Kim's latest progress, but I'm afraid he's out of the country at a medical conference, until early tomorrow morning. I'll request that he stops by, before rounds if he can."

"Thank you, Colonel," Harm and Mac both thanked him, before he stepped out of the room to give the nurses instructions.

Once the nurses had been in to adjust Kim's medication, as per Colonel Redgrave's orders, they were left in peace again. Harm and Mac curled up together on the fold-out bed that had been placed beside Kim's bed, early on. Neither intended on getting any sleep, not so long as there was a chance that Kim could wake up disoriented again, but they should at least rest. They'd be no use to Kim if they were burnt out.

OOOO


	22. Chapter 23

AM: Okay, only the epilogue to go after this part...I was a wild ride, but it has to end sometime! Hope you guys enjoyed!

OOOO

Part 23

Mac startled awake approximately four hours later. All was dark and quiet on the pediatrics floor, so Mac didn't know at first what had woken her.

"Mmmmm…"

Mac's head spun towards the noise, her eyes coming to rest on two large pools of sea-blue.

"Kim!" Mac smiled, reassuringly, "Don't worry, sweetie! You're okay…Looks like your Dad fell asleep, too…"

Mac was about to give Harm a shake, to wake him up, when Kim spoke again.

"Maaaac…"

"Yeah!" Mac smiled even wider, "That's right! I'm here, it's okay sweetie, you're okay, there's no need to get upset. You're in a hospital, getting better after an accident…Do you remember anything about what happened?"

"Yyyy…Yan?"

"Yeah, that's right, sweetie," Mac, took the hand that Kim tried to lift to the oxygen supply settled beneath her nose, squeezing it reassuringly, "Don't worry about Yan…He was released last week. Mrs. Patterson is taking good care of him at home and they call to check in on you every day."

"Kkkk…kay…"

"Are you tired, Honey?"

"Uhhh…huh…"

"Okay, let me just wake up your father real quick…He'd be upset if he missed speaking to you…"

Harm woke with a snort, after Mac shook his shoulder, first gently, then a bit harder, when it proved insufficient.

"Kim!" he nearly fell down the space between the fold-out bed and Kim's bed, in his rush to slide across to his daughter.

"Careful sailor," Mac urged, with a smile, "I don't want to be visiting _two_ people I love in the hospital."

Kim gave a lazy smile and Harm nearly lost it.

"Oh, sweetie! I've missed you so much! You don't know how long I've been waiting to see that smile of yours!"

"Ungh…"

"Are you tired, baby?"

"Yuh….Yeah…"

"Okay…Why don't you go back to sleep and I'll let the nurses know. They'll let the doctors know, but they shouldn't be in until tomorrow. You have time to get a few more hours of sleep, in the meantime."

"Gggg…G'nigh, Da…Daddy…"

"Good-night, baby."

"Sleep well, Kim, honey."

Once Kim was back to sleep, Harm went out to the nurses desk to apprise them of the new development, while Mac stroked the child's cheek softly, from her place sitting on the bed next her.

Afterwards, Harm came back and they went back to bed, now a bit more at ease.

OOOO

"Miss Rabb? Kim? Could you manage to open your eyes for me, just for a minute?"

When Kim's eyes fluttered open, lethargic but acquiescing, Doctors Grant and Redgrave introduced themselves.

"Good morning, Miss Rabb…My colleague and I are your doctors, Ma'am. I am Colonel Grant and this is Colonel Redgrave. You're welcome to call us either doctor or Colonel, for simplicity's sake."

Here Grant could see that his patient's attention was waning, so he got straight to the point.

"Kim, do you remember why you are in the hospital?"

Kim nodded, slowly.

"Acc…accident…we…fell."

"Do you remember anything that happened immediately before the accident? Anything that happened earlier that day?"

Mac saw the tension build in Harm's eyes, so took his hand in hers.

"Uh, yeah…skipped…school…"

Her eyes swiveled to Harm's, but he just gave a supportive smile.

"And before that? Do you remember?"

"Yeah," Kim answered but didn't elaborate anymore.

Grant and Redgrave continued to instruct Kim in some simple tasks, designed to tests abilities such as conversing verbally, cognitive functioning, visual tracking and visual object identification, fine motors skills and coordination. She was of course slow and shaky and didn't always achieve her goal without trying a few times, but both doctors assured all in the room that this was to be expected after such injuries and that Kim was actually functioning above expectations, considering her injuries.

Kim stayed awake just long enough to hear this then promptly fell asleep when Mac and Harm began firing questions at the bemused military doctors.

When both Colonels had left and they were sure that Kim was deeply asleep, they both gave into tears of relief and cried together.

OOOO


	23. Chapter 24

OOOO

Epilogue

Nine months later…

"Have you got your math book?"

"Yeah."

"And your English homework?"

"Uh, no…"

After a second or two of contemplation, Kim turned to the study desk that they had in the corner of the dining room, where she had completed said homework last night, before Harm checked it over. It might seem like a strange place to have a desk, but Kim needed absolute quiet while she studied, so the bedroom and the living room were off limits, due to the laundry room (sharing a wall with Kim's bedroom) and the joint kitchen, respectively.

"Honey, your socks don't match," Mac gently pointed out, as she arrived downstairs, dressed in full uniform and ready for work.

"Uh, yeah…that's in, now," Kim gave Mac a serious look and Mac just apologized,

"Oh, sorry, didn't realize that…"

After a wordless 'look-conversation' with Harm and both shrugged and chalked it up to one of those 'pre-teen' things.

Even though they had decided soon after Kim woke up that they would not pin any expectations on her recovery, she had surprised and delighted both of them. She had her days when some things didn't come as easily for her, especially when recollecting something when she was stressed or overwhelmed and her coordination had also suffered, which was still being addressed in weekly PT sessions. But despite that, she was 'their' Kim, the same as before the accident, at least in the ways that really mattered.

Today was 'career day' at Kim's school and both Harm and Mac had agreed to come in and give a small, joint talk about what they did in the military. James had agreed to handle anything major that came into the office while they were gone and anything less complicated could be handled by their junior staff members.

By the time they got to the school, the classroom was buzzing with the chatter of excited kids and the quieter conversation of adults from a range of occupations. It was not a school with a large percentage of military children attending, just a common international, overseas school run along the lines of the US curriculum, so many speakers had ordinary Balinese occupations, such as artisan, agricultural farmer and fisherman, as well as some that were more unusual, such as marine biologist, nightclub doorman, fire-chief (Yan's Uncle Made,) real-estate agent and tour guide.

The adults stood against the wall, waiting for the teacher, who was making her way around to let everyone know what order they would be speaking in. Harm and Mac had requested a slot within the first hour, since they had to get to work, but were happy to find that they were not the first ones up!

One child's mother got that honor, not that it seemed to faze her in the slightest. She gave a very interesting talk on her job as a marine biologist and ended with a quick show of some of the photos she'd taken on a recent dive to explore an old shipwreck uncovered by a passing tropical storm.

Once she was done, it was Made's turn, since 'question time' had been designated at the end of the first hour-long period. The children's teacher, who was new to the school, that school year, had quickly come to realize that her charges were nothing, if not curious and enthusiastic, so knew things could quickly get off schedule, unless she contained the question period to within the last ten minutes before break. The bell ringing should do a good job of distracting the hungry kids from their barrage of questions, she thought.

Made gave a talk about the variety of scenes he attended, not just house fires and family cats trapped within trees. He recounted a highly amusing tale about a woman trapped in a public restroom by an agitated reticulated python, but stayed away from the tale of his nephew and his best friend. Harm and Mac knew that Made could still not bring himself to talk about the incident, had not done so since he recounted the details to the kid's parents and in the incident report, even though both kids came out of the ordeal extremely lucky. Harm did not want to think what sort of scene the poor man had come across, when he first ascended that cliff-side to rescue kids who he knew and loved as if they were his own.

After Made, it was Harm and Mac's turn, but before they could make their way forward, Kim's teacher turned to seek them out, obviously having misplaced where they had gotten to, inside the classroom.

"Kim, are your Mom and Dad still here?" she asked the child and instantly, the class of children was silent. Most of the adults knew all about Kim's ordeal, the previous school year, so of course knew the story of how Harm and Mac met and how Mac was not Kim's Mother and was not (yet) married to Harm. However, being new to the community, Kim's teacher had not learned that and had not asked, since Kim so resembled the pretty, now lieutenant colonel.

"We're just here, Ma'am," Harm stepped forward, to let the woman know.

The other kids were now looking at Kim or whispering to her, obviously curious about whether she was going to correct their teacher (always a great day, in any child's life!)

Kim however decided that it was not important, because a title would never change what Mac had come to mean to her.

"C'mon Mom, Dad…We're waiting!" Kim grinned sassily at the two of them, "I want to hear some compelling reasons about why I should become a Marine or why I should become Navy!"

"Just remember, missy," Harm threw her a warning grin, "The Navy is essentially paying for you to go to space-camp, next summer…"

"No it's not!"

"Well," Harm amended, "The Navy is paying me and I am paying for you to go to space camp…"

The rest of the kids and the parents laughed as Kim mimed zipping her mouth closed and padlocking it!

"Don't forget who will also be contributing, Sailor," Mac chipped in and the children all laughed as Harm looked a tad uncomfortable.

"This is going to be a tough decision," Kim mused to herself, aloud.

"Don't worry, sweetie," Harm smiled at his daughter and Mac joined in as they finished the thought, together, "We've still got quite a few more years with you, before you have to decide!"

And all three of them really were really looking forward to finding out just what the future would hold for all of them!

FIN


End file.
